Operational Group for the deployment of a novel technology for optimizing the irrigation management with the use of computer vision
IRRIVISION aims to demonstrate and validate through field tests the viability of a novel technology for precision irrigation in tree crops, as grapevine and kiwifruit. The proposed technology combines innovative measurements on the canopy through a computer vision system with the standard climatic data collected from sensors localized in the field, in order to obtain a more precise indication of the crop water status. The overall aim of the project is to provide farmers with a new tool for irrigation management able to: - Adapt irrigation volumes to precise crop needs - Reduce water waste - Improve/adapt the product quality to the desired market targets.
The technology proposed in this project will be tested in open filed on two different tree crops of the Veneto area: grapevine and kiwifruit. 8 experimental sites will be set up, each one including two treatments managed with different irrigation regimes and provided with a complete video-sensor system. Data from sensors and canopy images, along with periodic field measurements to determine the plant water status, will be collected over two seasons. Stress indexes resulting from these data analysis will be used to set up a new automatized irrigation model, to be tested in pilot farms in the last season. The last phase of the project will evaluate the benefits and the scalability of the proposed technology
In a context of climate change and increasing pressures on natural resources, a correct management of water in agriculture is crucial to guarantee the sustainability and competitiveness in this sector. The Water Framework Directive 2000/60/CE imposes a drastic reduction of water withdrawals from rivers. It is then expected that several areas, like Veneto Region, whose agriculture and economy is strictly connected to the superficial waterflows, may assist to severe damages in case of drought conditions. In this context, new solutions able to guarantee a more efficient use of water resources are needed, specifically in agriculture, sector with the highest incidence on hydric resources, contributing to 70% of world water consumption. Precision irrigation techniques can contribute in facing the challenge of water preservation, by increasing the water use efficiency. This can be done by defining timing and amount of water to be applied with irrigation, to match the exact plants need and to optimize the amount and quality of productions. Common support systems used to guide irrigation in agriculture use climatic sensors able to monitor temperature, rainfall and the soil humidity, but parameters directly related to the plant and its water status are scarcely considered. Several studies reported that the canopy volume is related to the plant evapotranspiration; small differences in the leaf inclination may indicate variations in the plant water status; moreover, an increase in leaf temperature has been observed with increasing water stress conditions in several crops. A technology able to combine parameters of the canopy with climatic and soil may allow to define more precisely the water dosage and timing, adapting them to the plant water demand.
Precision irrigation techniques can give a great contribute in facing the challenge of water preservation, by increasing the water use efficiency in agriculture, the sector with the highest impact on the total world water consumption. In order to improve the irrigation efficiency, a precise definition of the timing and amount of water to be applied is needed, to match the exact plant demand without useless wastes. Responding to this needs, IRRIVISION aims to test a novel technology for precision irrigation in tree crops. The system aims to combine innovative measurements on the canopy obtained through the use of computer vision techniques, with standard climatic data collected from sensors localized in the field. A comprehensive monitoring of climatic and plant parameters will allow to get a more precise indication of plant water status. By specific algorithms developed in the project, based on the data obtained from the field trials, a software will manage the irrigation automatically and intelligently, rationalizing the use of water according to the real needs of the crop. The proposed technology will be tested in open filed on two different tree crops representative of the Veneto area: grapevine and kiwifruit. Eight experimental sites will be set up to test and validate the new video-sensor systems. After the analysis of the first-year-data, a new automatized irrigation model will be developed and tested in the pilot farms in the last season. The benefits and the scalability of the proposed irrigation technology to other areas or crops will be evaluated in the last phase of the project. The project aims to provide farmers a new tool for irrigation management able to rationalize the water use according to the crop needs
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Facebook page of the project
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Article on Infowine journal
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Project brochure in english
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Project poster
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Interview on the youtube channel of PSR Veneto
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Video del progetto
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Materiali utili
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Tecnologia innovativa per la gestione razionale dell’irrigazione basata su visione artificiale
La tecnologia proposta combina l’impiego di un sistema di visione artificiale in grado di rilevare parametri della chioma con i parametri climatici rilevati da sensori in campo…