Biobest Acquires Ecoation

Dr. Jake Holley

In another step forward for AI integration in agriculture, Biobest, a company long recognized for their work in beneficial insect rearing, has acquired Ecoation, a tech company specializing in crop imaging and data analytics. 

Ecoation’s platform is centered around two core services: integrated pest management (IPM) and crop prediction. Using in-greenhouse imaging technology, Ecoation’s AI models analyze plants to estimate future fruit yields and detect pest outbreaks in tomatoes and peppers. By continuously scanning plants throughout the growing area, the system can identify subtle changes that are easy for human scouts to miss, offering growers earlier insights and more targeted responses.

With this acquisition, Biobest aims to bring a more unified and automated approach to crop monitoring and production. Since IPM encompasses a broad range of management strategies including pest control, disease prevention, plant health monitoring and yield optimization, it’s only natural that AI-driven imaging would become part of the toolkit. By combining biological controls with data-powered forecasting, Biobest is positioning itself as a full-spectrum provider for greenhouse growers looking to scale sustainably and intelligently. IG