Over the past period, CrackSense has been buzzing with activity – from hands-on field visits and Open Days to international conferences, training events, and a joint webinar with STELAR. Each occasion brought fresh insights, real-world demonstrations, and collaborations that moved us closer to smarter, more sustainable fruit production.
Showcasing Innovation: CrackSense Open Days
Over the past months, the CrackSense team focused on hosting a series of Open Days across Europe – key opportunities to share progress, exchange knowledge, and demonstrate how advanced sensing technologies are transforming fruit production. These events play an important role in connecting researchers, growers, and innovators, ensuring that solutions developed within the project are tested, validated, and shaped by real field experiences.
- In Lithuania, at Šarmingas sodas (Beta Via), visitors witnessed the TOMMY robot scanning individual cherries with LiDAR, thermal, and optical sensors, while the Aurelia drone gathered hyperspectral data to provide a comprehensive view of the orchard.
- In France, at CTIFL, the focus was on collaboration between growers, technicians, and researchers. Attendees explored field demonstrations of TOMMY’s RGB and thermal imaging capabilities and discussed how such technologies can help mitigate fruit cracking in sweet cherries.
- Finally, in Greece, at the Agricultural University of Athens vineyard site, participants observed UAV flights equipped with multispectral and thermal cameras, alongside ground-based sensing tools that monitor crop conditions. The event highlighted how data-driven approaches can empower farmers to reduce fruit losses and improve production resilience.
Sharing Knowledge: CrackSense at Conferences
Alongside the Open Days, CrackSense partners have been actively engaging with the scientific community, sharing project insights and research findings at international conferences.
- At the VI International Symposium on Pomegranate and Minor Mediterranean Fruits (PomSym 2025) in Bari, Italy, Dr. Idit Ginzberg from the Volcani Institute presented “Pomegranate skin development and fruit cracking incidence – omics and sensing approaches.” Her talk explored the genetic and metabolic mechanisms behind skin development and fruit cracking resistance – offering valuable context for the challenges CrackSense seeks to address.
- Meanwhile, at the 15th European Conference on Precision Agriculture, Prof. Spyros Fountas from the Agricultural University of Athens showcased findings from the 2024 pomegranate field trials. His poster highlighted how UAV-based multispectral and thermal imaging, combined with physiological measurements, can predict fruit cracking early – enabling smarter irrigation planning, reducing yield losses, and supporting healthier orchards.
Webinar Recap: From Orchards to Orbits – Smart Sensing in Agriculture
In July, CrackSense and STELAR co-hosted a webinar showcasing how remote and proximal sensing technologies are helping farmers monitor crops, predict stress, and reduce losses. Experts demonstrated real-world applications, from UAV and in-orchard sensors to data platforms, highlighting practical solutions for smarter, more sustainable agriculture.
Catch up now – the recording is available below.
CrackSense in Action: Drone Demo & Training Events
CrackSense also joined two events, which brought together participants from several European projects, fostering knowledge exchange and practical insights for more resilient, data-driven farming.
In Viotia, Greece, as part of a PoliRural Plus project initiative, CrackSense took part in a hands-on training and demonstration at the Aliartos Conference Centre and AUA Experimental Farm. Alongside around 10 other European projects, the team shared methods for orchard monitoring and practical approaches to support smarter, more efficient farming.
At EKOAgriTech 2025, CrackSense was represented by our partners at Beta via, who welcomed visitors and showcased ongoing initiatives, emphasizing how technology and innovation are helping farmers, researchers, and policy-makers tackle challenges in fruit production.
Field Insights: Monitoring and Mitigation in Action
Over the past months, CrackSense partners carried out several field visits to advance testing and data collection for fruit cracking mitigation.
At the citrus orchards, Michael Morozov (Volcani Institute) collaborated with Yoav Yoktan from ARO’s pomegranate research team, working on-site to refine cracking mitigation methods. Meanwhile, at the Tzora orchard, Matan Bugayski tested the LAI device (probe and antenna) to monitor crop conditions and support more precise field management.
