JULY 2026  SEEDWORLD.COM/CANADA   35
The Power and Limits of Big Datasets
Reberg-Horton says the AI crop community needs these 
datasets. “Many other sectors have massive free datasets, but 
agriculture has moved more slowly,” he explains. “The variation 
in biological systems makes the problem more complex. A stop 
sign looks similar across locations, but plants vary widely even 
within the same species. That means we need far more images.”
He adds that progress will depend on how quickly research­
ers share data. 
Cost Barriers Remain
Washburn, a USDA scientist involved in one of the 2025 
reviews, says cost will continue to limit adoption.
“Both data generation and model development require 
significant investment,” he says. “Breeding programs, especially 
those focused on minor crops or operating in the public sector, 
often face tight resource constraints. Many proven breeding 
methods remain underused because of cost.”
Beyond cost, Washburn points to data availability as the pri­
mary barrier. While datasets such as AgIR will help, many pro­
grams still lack the scale of data needed to deploy AI effectively.
Smarter Models With Less Data
At the same time, he sees opportunity on the technical side. 
“Some of the most important advances will come from 
methods that perform well with less data,” he says. 
Techniques such as data augmentation and transfer learn­
ing already support many of today’s leading AI systems. Future 
improvements in this area could expand access and improve 
performance across breeding programs. 

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