A large group of olive growers, technicians and researchers attended the demonstration led by the Agricultural Experimentation and Assistance Center of the Riviere di Liguria Chamber of Commerce (CeRSAA) on the morning of 6 October, which saw the use of APR (drones) for low-impact phytosanitary defense against the key olive tree parasite: Bactrocera oleae, the so-called olive fly).
“This demonstration represents an important step forward for innovation in olive growing, fitting into the broader context of the Liguria Region's path towards the environmental and economic sustainability of agricultural activities. A way of actively meeting the challenges of Agriculture 4.0 which sees, among others, the introduction of low-toxicity products and their safe use, in this case to protect our olives" declared the vice president of the Liguria Region, Alessandro Piana.
“Agricultural land that is difficult to access from the ground to operators and machines and where the availability of water is very limited are the application scenarios in which drones can be usefully introduced” he added Carlo Siffredi, President of the Consortium for the Protection of DOP Riviera Ligure oil.
“In these conditions, the distribution of “Attract and kill” products with reduced volumes of water offers the best results: reduction of the plant protection product falling to the ground by over 20% and negligible environmental dispersion (drift) within 5 m and absent at 10 m from the edge of the treated area” he specified Giovanni Minuto, Director of CeRSAA.
“The combination of the localized distribution of products and the efficiency of the aerial vehicle also contribute to the significant reduction of the residue content in foods (oil, table olives), far lower than the residues of chemical vehicles conventionally distributed over the entire canopy, often even close to the limit of quantification" he concluded Andrea Minuto, head of the CeRSAA Testing Center.
The following are collaborating on the project: the Consortium for the Protection of DOP Riviera Ligure oil; the Sestresi Olive Growers Cooperative; the Le Riunite Cooperative; the S. Anna High School in Pisa; the Fojanini Foundation of Sondrio; Aces Air of Sondrio; FMC Agro Italia.
