THEAgriculture 4.0 in olive sector is making great strides and has proved to be particularly useful for supporting operators in the monitoring of olive groves, guaranteeing timely interventions in various fields, in particular the phytosanitary one.
With Simone Fiorentino (in the picture), agronomist of Elaisian, a leading company in the production of systems to prevent the development of pathogens – from fly to peacock eye, from moth to leprosy – let's analyze the results that this technological innovation has brought to the sector.
Dr. Fiorentino, what balance can you draw from this vintage in terms of the attack of pathogens on the olive groves, in particular of the fly that has been so much talked about lately?
“There were strong currents of hot, almost boiling air, with no sign of rain. It's been a year where climate change has made itself felt, more and more anomalous, more and more torrid. It was two cyclones from Africa that made our peninsula scorching – Hannibal and Scipione – which between May and July caused temperatures to reach peaks above 40°C. Despite this, the olive fly has managed to develop and do damage in various Italian regions, especially in the autumn period”.
Let's go into detail!
“As we know, the fly above 34-35°C greatly reduces its reproductive capacity and, with low humidity, even the larval stages die. So this year we have definitely had a reduction in infestations in the summer period; in autumn, high temperatures were maintained for the season which instead allowed a greater spread of the pathogen".
What has guaranteed the use of Agriculture 4.0 in this area?
“Both in less severe years and in those where temperatures help the development of the fly, we can intervene with classic treatments, but also with innovative control systems and methods. Digital agriculture systems are now widespread, such as that of Elaisian, which make it possible to predict infections and the development of pathogens, giving the possibility of acting in advance, thus reducing both phytosanitary interventions and the quantity of product used. Furthermore, with the innovative traps with automatic counting camera it becomes even easier to monitor one's land, contrasting pathogens such as the fly, improving the quantity and quality of agricultural products".
How does Elaisian fit into the development of Agriculture 4.0?
“Elaisian was born in 2016 and in the last six years has contributed to the expansion of the knowledge and use of Agriculture 4.0 in Italy and internationally. In recent years Agriculture 4.0, according to a study by the Milan Polytechnic, has seen an increase in investments which have gone from 450 million euros in 2019 to 1,6 billion in 2021. Again according to the same study, currently, on a sample of 869 farms analysed, 64% declare that they use at least one Agriculture 4.0 solution, more than 40% use at least two and on average each company uses 2,7 solutions, a 15% increase compared to 2020. In short, Agriculture 4.0 is making great strides and the sector is positively affected. Systems like that of Elaisian will increasingly allow an increase in environmental sustainability, through the reduction of interventions and products used".
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