Canopy Index Evaluation for Precision Management in an Intensive Olive Orchard

Alberto Assirelli, Elio Romano, Carlo Bisaglia, Enrico Maria Lodolini, Davide Neri and Massimo Brambilla
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Alberto Assirelli: Council for Agricultural Research and Economics (CREA), Research Centre for Engineering and Agro-Food Processing, Via della Pascolare 16, 00015 Roma, Italy
Elio Romano: Council for Agricultural Research and Economics (CREA), Research Centre for Engineering and Agro-Food Processing, Via Milano 43, 24047 Treviglio, Italy
Carlo Bisaglia: Council for Agricultural Research and Economics (CREA), Research Centre for Engineering and Agro-Food Processing, Via Milano 43, 24047 Treviglio, Italy
Enrico Maria Lodolini: Council for Agricultural Research and Economics (CREA), Research Centre for Olive, Fruits and Citrus Crops, Via di Fioranello 52, 00134 Roma, Italy
Davide Neri: Department of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, Via Brecce Bianche 10, 60131 Ancona, Italy
Massimo Brambilla: Council for Agricultural Research and Economics (CREA), Research Centre for Engineering and Agro-Food Processing, Via Milano 43, 24047 Treviglio, Italy

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 15, 1-12

Abstract: The evaluation of the canopy in orchard cultivation is a key aspect for the main cultivation techniques, such as pruning, thinning, harvesting, production and improved fruit quality. The possibility of having a periodic screening of the state of development of the vegetation can be of practical support to growers. Research on the application of precision agriculture has provided tools for reading and interpreting crops, and the resulting information is potentially useful. Many of the systems under study provide after monitoring information processing systems that reduce the timeliness of intervention. Especially in intensive systems such as olive groves, knowing the precise intervention points is often essential. In the present work, a multi-parameter instrument was used for field monitoring on the agricultural tractor to analyse the canopy. The system allows measuring various indicators such as height and density of the canopy and the temperature and humidity of the ambient air and at the leaf level. The first evaluation of the data made it possible to identify areas with greater vegetative concentration and greater or lesser development. The system made it possible to identify with good approximation the homogeneous areas, based on the Canopy Index (CI) evaluation to be subjected to subsequent and specific management efforts, dividing them into low, ordinary, and high vegetative growth. The results highlight the possibility of directly combining operators able to intervene with the same passage, selecting based on differences in growth, typical varietal specificities, and areas of deficient development or that are affected by plant diseases, confirming the objective of defining the areas of the orchard that require different management and workload techniques.

Keywords: precision farming; simulation model; sensors; automation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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