Table grapes
EXPERIMENTS
Location: Israel
Experimental activities on table grapes in Israel involve application of a variety of irrigation measures, plant growth regulators (PGRs), mineral applications, and plots with known histories. Irrigation is essential in arid regions to maintain optimal soil moisture, directly influencing plant physiology, including nutrient uptake, transpiration, and growth. The use of PGRs is utilised to regulate plant processes such as fruit set, growth, and stress tolerance by mimicking natural hormones, enhancing table grapes yield and quality. Experiments in mineral applications are utilised to assess optimal micro and macro minerals to support soil fertility and plant health. Furthermore, the inclusion of plots with known histories allows for analysing the impact of past land management on current growth and tailoring agronomic practices accordingly.
Location: Greece
Partners: AUA, PEG
Experimental activities on table grapes in Greece will also involve application of different irrigation measures, PGRs, and optimal mineral management.
Furthermore, experimental and pilot sites in Israel and Greece will utilise:
3D temperature point cloud technology to create a three-dimensional map of temperature variations in the orchard, enabling the monitoring of microclimatic conditions that affect plant stress, growth, and fruit ripening.
Fruit wetness sensors to detect the presence of moisture on fruit surfaces, which will help identify conditions that could lead to physiological changes in fruit skin linked to fruit cracking.
Dendrometers (fruit and tree) to measure diameter changes in both fruit and tree trunks, providing data on water status and growth patterns essential for adjusting irrigation and predicting harvest quantity.
UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles or drones) tree and plot mapping to collect high-resolution aerial images, facilitating the assessment of canopy health, spatial variability, and orchard-level assessment of factors contributing to fruit cracking.
Soil texture, moisture, and mineral analysis to evaluate the soil’s physical and chemical properties, and provide key insights on optimal irrigation, fertilisation, and soil health restoration strategies to mitigate fruit cracking.
Satellite and environmental monitoring to collect large-scale observation of environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, and vegetation indices, supporting data-driven approaches to precision agriculture.
Edge computing and AI modelling to allow for the real-time processing and analysis of data from various sensors, enabling predictive modelling which will be integrated into the Spatial Decision Support System (SDSS).
Once investigated, these technologies and successful experimental practices will be tested large-scale and applied on commercial orchard models.
