As we told you in a previous article of ours, the Agricultural Cooperative Palma d'Oro has undertaken a pilot project in collaboration with TETHYS, for experiment with advanced technologies in water resource management and crop growth monitoring. Palme d'Or is a reference cooperative for agriculture in the province of Foggia, attentive not only to productivity but also to environmental sustainability.
The project focused on 20 hectares divided into six sample plots, cultivated with tomatoes. After the transplanting of the seedlings, which took place between 11 April and 6 May 2024, the initiative continued throughout the growing season, ending in September with the harvest. Main objective: optimize irrigation and estimate crop yields in an innovative way, using exclusively digital tools and satellite data.
Smart irrigation with TETHYS Aqua
One of the key tools of the project was TETHYS Aqua, a technology capable of analyze the water needs of crops through the daily calculation of the water balanceThe system is based on theacquisition and processing of satellite data.
On the 6 sample plots, a an analysis of the irrigation needs of crops, through the Calculation of daily water balance during the 2024 campaign, based on the minimum data necessary for the estimate provided by the cooperative's technicians. In particular, the TETHYS algorithms and the weather data acquired from satellite have allowed us to calculate, for each day of the 2024 campaign, the positive items – rain and irrigation – and the negative ones – actual evapotranspiration of crops and water lost through runoff – of the water balance. By systematizing these variables it was possible to calculate, for every day of the 2024 campaign, water that is easily usable by plants, their water needs and then the possible need for irrigation to avoid water stress of the crops.
Thanks to the collaboration between the technicians of the cooperative and those of TETHYS, The analysis was customized to the specific conditions of the fields, making the extremely efficient and reliable system.
Growth monitoring with TETHYS Grow
In parallel, the project introduced TETHYS Grow, a innovative service for monitoring crop growth and estimating production yields. This tool, integrated into the TETHYS Plus package, stands out for its ability to operate exclusively with satellite data (optical and thermal sensors and SAR weather data), without the need for sensors or control units in the field.
TETHYS Grow calculated biomass growth and dry matter yield daily, generating high resolution maps (10×10 meters) which highlighted the production variability within the plots. To estimate the dry matter yield of the tomato, was used the index harvest index, That calculates the useful portion of biomass taking into account the specific growth conditions of each plot.
Comparison of results and accuracy of estimates
The data provided by TETHYS Grow were compared with measurements taken in the field by the technicians of the Palma d'Oro Cooperative. The comparison highlighted an extraordinary correspondence: the deviation between the estimated and the detected values was less than 5%, confirming the high reliability of the system.
These results represent an important confirmation of the TETHYS Grow's ability to support farmers in crop management, optimizing resources And improving logistics planning. All with a system plug n play which does not require complex or expensive infrastructures.
Technology at the service of sustainable agriculture
The pilot project of the Palma d'Oro Cooperative has demonstrated how the synergy between innovative technologies and traditional skills can revolutionize agriculture. Thanks to TETHYS Aqua and TETHYS Grow, it was possible intelligently manage water resources and accurately estimate production yields, reducing waste and optimizing business operations.
Add comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.