Russian Company Builds AI-Powered Weed Catalog for Farmers

An Altai-based agritech firm is developing a digital service that helps farmers instantly identify weeds and predict their impact on crops.

Altai company SiSort, in partnership with Voronezh State Agrarian University, has launched a large-scale project to create Russia’s first electronic weed catalog. The tool, announced by SiSort’s press office, will allow farmers to quickly and accurately identify unwanted plants in their harvest.

SiSort, a leading Russian producer of optical sorters, is expanding its digital ecosystem through the new catalog, built on its existing “Kalibr” platform. Farmers simply photograph contaminated grain or seeds against a white background, place a five-ruble coin next to it for scale, and upload the image to a specialized bot. The system then analyzes the photo and identifies the type of weed.

The company plans to grow the database to 2,500 weed species across Russia and eventually include cultivated plants as well. Future updates will let the service forecast the impact of specific weeds on yields and recommend targeted herbicide use.

Free access makes the platform particularly attractive for the agricultural sector. Experts note that digital tools like this can improve crop quality and boost the efficiency of Russia’s farming industry.