Sweet Cherry
EXPERIMENTS
Location: France
Partners: INRAE
Experiments in France will involve germplasm research, analysing genetic resources to improve plant traits such as disease resistance, yield, and adaptability. By preserving and characterising different plant genotypes, germplasm research supports breeding programs aimed at enhancing the performance and sustainability of crop varieties.
Location: Germany
Partners: LVGA
Research activities in Germany include artificial rain and mineral application experiments. Artificial rain simulates natural precipitation to study its effects on plant growth, nutrient uptake, and disease dynamics, particularly under controlled conditions to mimic specific weather events. Mineral application experiments aim to provide insights on essential nutrients needed to improve soil fertility and support plant health, ensuring that sweet cherries receive the optimal balance of elements necessary for growth and productivity.
Furthermore, a series of technologies and methods will be applied in both France and Germany to assess fruit cracking in cherries:
3D temperature point cloud technology to generate a three-dimensional representation of temperature distribution across the orchard. This technique enables precise monitoring of microclimatic conditions, which can influence physiological processes such as photosynthesis, stress responses, and fruit ripening.
Fruit wetness sensors to detect the presence of moisture on the fruit's surface, providing information on environmental conditions that could lead to moisture-mediated cherry cracking. Continuous monitoring aims to anticipate fruit cracking and provide insights on appropriate protective and timely mitigation measures.
UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles or drones) tree and plot mapping is utilised to capture high-resolution aerial images, allowing for detailed assessment of canopy structure, tree health, and spatial orchard variability. This information will help to identify factors contributing to cherry cracking at the tree and orchard level.
Soil texture, moisture, and mineral analysis are applied to evaluate the physical and chemical properties of the soil, including its capacity to retain water, nutrient content, and organic matter levels. These insights will be utilised to provide insights on the factors contributing to cherry cracking as well as mitigation measures.
Satellite and environmental monitoring will include large-scale observation of various meteorological parameters as well as regional and plot features. This remote sensing approach enables continuous tracking of orchard conditions and will incorporate weather data.
Edge computing and AI modelling will be utilised for the real-time processing of data collected from various orchard sensors. By integrating machine learning algorithms and predictive models, this technology will be an integral part of the SDSS, thus providing farmers with insights on the seasonal probability of fruit cracking.
