Precision farming, the future of fruit growing!
We use remote and proximal sensing technologies, including drones, satellites and soil scanners, to evaluate:
- soil quality
- vegetative and generative growth of the fruit trees
The information gathered will allow to evaluate the performance of existing methodologies, and where needed new methods will be developed.
In a second phase, this information will be used to steer the management of the orchard, aiming at improving the production in both quantity and quality.
In addition, a cost-benefit analysis will be done to evaluate the added value of the information for the fruit growers. We will develop a dashboard to enable fruit growers and advisors to consult their parcel information, and derive site specific management decisions. The outline and functionalities of the dashboard will be decided in close collaboration with the fruit growers and advisors.
The work is a joined effort of PcFruit, ZLTO, Boomkwekerij Fleuren, CrossRoad Communications and VITO Remote Sensing. The project 'Intelligent Fruit Cultivation' is financed within the 'Interreg Vlaanderen-Nederland' program.
Read more on the project website: http://www.pcfruit.be/intelligenterfruittelen
