Established in 1920, the Agricultural University of Athens (AUA) stands as the third oldest university in Greece. It provides top-tier undergraduate and postgraduate education and research in Agricultural Science. Its vision is to achieve excellence in education and research, securing a dynamic position in the global academic community.
Aligned with its role in supporting Greece’s economic and societal needs, AUA evolves with modern educational and scientific advancements. It maintains continuous engagement with society, offering solutions and proposals for challenges in the agri-nutrition sector.
Research Focus at Agricultural University of Athens (AUA)
Research at the Agricultural University of Athens (AUA) is dedicated to generating new knowledge and utilising existing insights across agronutrition, environmental ecology, and agricultural economics. The primary goal is to foster sustainable development and address modern challenges.
AUA focuses its research on a broad spectrum of areas, including soil, atmosphere, water resources, microorganisms, plant and animal organisms, feed, and food and tackling various challenges related to food safety and environmental protection, exploring precision agriculture, imaging, AI and robotics, web applications, and databases.
To achieve its research objectives, AUA employs a multidisciplinary approach, integrating fields such as genetics, biotechnology, plant protection, and agricultural economics. Interdisciplinarity, cooperation, and innovation are central to AUA’s research projects, contributing significantly to the international recognition of the university’s basic and applied research achievements.
Within AUA’s Department of Natural Resource Management and Agricultural Engineering, The Smart Farming Technology Group (SFT Group), led by Professor Spyros Fountas, is dedicated to research, training, and educational activities in various advanced fields. This includes precision agriculture, artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and software development for agricultural applications.
AUA in CrackSense
As part of the CrackSense project, AUA has taken on a crucial role in developing a Spatial Decision Support System (SDSS) to assist farmers and stakeholders in managing the risk of fruit cracking. This system will provide timely advice on the likelihood and timing of fruit cracking, helping to mitigate potential damages. AUA’s responsibilities include creating a comprehensive database to collect relevant data and utilising AI models to predict fruit cracking risks.
Work Package 4 (WP4) of the CrackSense project, under the leadership of Spyros Fountas, focuses on building the web platform that will host the fruit cracking database. This platform will facilitate the collection, testing, and validation of data through AI models, enhancing the prediction and management of fruit cracking risks. AUA’s contribution is pivotal in developing this SDSS, providing farmers and advisors with the tools needed to predict and mitigate fruit cracking in various crops effectively.
In addition to WP4, AUA is also participating in WP2, focusing on field trials and implementation of fruit temperature in cracking models; WP3, which includes ground-based measurements to estimate the effect of spatial and temporal environmental variables on cracking intensity, remote sensing applications to assess tree health and yield, and estimation of cracking-associated yield loss at the regional scale; and WP5, involving piloting activities to test and refine the developed systems.
The primary objectives of the CrackSense project, backed by the Agricultural University of Athens, are as follows:
- Develop a comprehensive database to collect fruit cracking data and overall yield information from various orchards of the studied crop species.
- Test and validate AI models to predict factors contributing to fruit cracking.
- Develop a Decision Support System to provide recommendation tools for advisors and farmers.
Already mentioned for his leadership in WP4, Spyros Fountas, along with the researchers Georgia Nikolakopoulou and Sofia Mousseti, are at the forefront of AUA’s research and innovation in CrackSense, as outlined in the infographic below.
