SOME CONTRIBUTIONS OF REMOTE SENSING FOR ORCHARD IRRIGATION SCHEDULING RESULTING FROM THE TELERIEG RESEARCH PROGRAM IN THE SOUTH-WEST OF FRANCE

The use of sensors for irrigation in orchard scheduling provides fundamental information to save water, as it integrates the various terms of the water balance: effective rainfall, irrigation efficiency, useful reserve of soil, percolation losses or capillary rises from deep layers inaccessible to the roots.
In theoretical calculations (hydric balance) these variables are often approximate and inaccurate.
However the use of sensors is costly in instrumentation, working time, and information is located in a very few places because of a limited number of replications.
The use of remote sensing has been considered first in order to wisely choose the locations of measuring devices and, on the other hand, to extrapolate this information to larger surfaces or territories.
However, the development of this technique requires a number of approaches and research.
These have been the subject of the European regional project TELERIEG from the INTERREG SUDOE (Southwest Europe) program.
In this communication we will develop some advances obtained on various issues for apple, hazelnuts and nuts by the team of the House of remote sensing in Montpellier (Cemagref-IRSTEA and IRD) in relation to field partners (ANPN, INRA-SUPAGRO):

• with regard to the development of automated treatment of remote sensing data, the development of a methodology for characterizing spatial variability of plots of orchards as well as atmospheric corrections of the thermal data;
• which concerns the system of monitoring of vegetation, identification of field areas influencing the obtained signals, and their relevance for irrigation scheduling and detection of water stress.

VII International Symposium on Irrigation of Horticultural Crops

C. Isbérie, S. Labbé, A. Jolivot, R. Marti, A. Bégué, K. Akakpo, J.L. Regnard, T. Colonges , N. Virlet, B. Saphy, B. Roux

Malus × domestica, Corylus × avellana L., sensors, watersaving, precision irrigation

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2014.1038.30