CrackSense project receives 7,5 million euros to utilise sensing and data technologies to enhance fruit quality
Bringing together 14 partners across 7 European countries, the new EU project CrackSense will address the fruit cracking challenge in Europe, focusing on real-time monitoring and prediction by utilising and upscaling sensing and digital data technologies. Since fruit cracking is a peel disorder, limiting fruit quality and yield, the ambition of the project is to monitor agri-environmental conditions because these conditions have a great influence on agricultural production.
“The phenomenon of fruit cracking occurs mainly in the pre-harvest stage, and it is often a physiological response to climatic and environmental conditions. It initiates at the surface of the fruit, where cracks traverse the skin and penetrate the inner tissues. That can result in yield loss in many fruit crops. CrackSense’s ambition is to prevent and reduce fruit cracking in citrus, pomegranate, table grapes and sweet cherries by developing and upscaling sensing technologies that will provide real-time sensor data through piloting activities set in Israel, France, Germany, Lithuania, and Greece.”
Victor Alchanatis,D.Sc researcher and Avi Sadka, professor of plant sciences at the Agricultural research organization of Israel, the Volcani Center Coordination team of CrackSense
