Precision Management of Orchards and Vineyards

Under a global climate change, plants will be facing increasing abiotic and biotic constraints. We have to expect a rise in average daily temperatures, atmospheric CO2 concentration, soil salinity in some areas, and water stress by drought or floods. Climate change can significantly alter plant functioning and productivity, affecting crop management sustainability and ultimately the whole food economy. Today’s technological advancements offer an excellent opportunity for the precise management of orchards and vineyards, aiming at the highest production quality and efficiency. New generation sensors exist and can be further implemented for the precise management of a number of operations both in the field (irrigation, nutrition, pest control, pruning, harvesting, etc.) and during postharvest processing.

Further investigations and good knowledge sharing across the areas of horticulture and viticulture, basic plant physiology, and engineering are required in order to improve fruit tree and vine management by optimizing water, nutrients, and chemical inputs. Precise and automated systems will have to represent the future for a modern and sustainable fruit production.

The Working Group Precision Management of Orchards and Vineyards covers the scientific and technical innovations as well as the interdisciplinary knowledge about the implementation and application of both remote and on-site sensing systems for a precise management of orchards and vineyards, with particular references to the most relevant field operations, such as:

• irrigation and water relations,
• yield and harvest monitoring,
• mapping and decision support platforms/systems,
• canopy growth and management,
• disease and pest pressure detection/control,
• fruit growth, ripening, quality and postharvest,
• soil management, fertility, and nutrition,
• ability to connect farmer and agricultural advisors for real-time advice,
• spatial analysis and zoning of within-field an on-farm variability,
• wireless sensor networks, Internet of Things, big data in precision horticulture.