The challenge
Through an approach based on community-led local development, FISHAGROTECH intended to raise awareness and collaboration among companies in the agricolture and aquacolture sectors, accompanying them in the identification and application of innovative solutions offered by the world of scientific and technological research. In particular, among the results, the project includes the development of cross-border pilot projects or a set of activities aimed at accompanying companies in the analysis and definition of new business opportunities for new products / processes in the fisheries, aquaculture and agriculture sector.
The project
Agro-Meteo monitoring – wine production chain – WiForAgri solutions: Internet of Things (IoT) for sustainable viticulture with DSS modeling (data-analytics) on plant diseases (downy mildew and powdery mildew).
The future of agriculture is to use location-based data (i.e sensors) to achieve intelligent phytosanitary management, which acts only where, when and if necessary. WiForAgri technology, through monitoring stations, wireless sensors and forecasting models, allows farmers to have real-time field control accurately monitoring climatic and phytosanitary risks. It’s so possible to achieve saving on treatments, losses and human resources. Following the Directive 128/2009 (and subsequent ones) focused on the sustainable uses of crop protection products, viticulture is required to follow the criteria of integrated pest management and use scientifically validated methods and techniques to reduce the use of chemical agents and therefore of phytosanitary treatments.
With this WiForAgri pilot-project we have developed the first weather monitoring network of the Karst area: a free information service open to all winemakers and farmers. The pilot actions have been focused on the wine production chain by including 2 vine forecast models (DSS) for the diseases of downy mildew and powdery mildew.
The pilot project included the following main actions:
• Identification of different micro-climatic zones, within the target area, located in macro-areas characterized by a significant presence of vineyards;
• supply and installation of 12 WiForAgri agro-weather stations;
• pre-training on local micro-climates of the forecasting models (DSS) of downy mildew and powdery mildew;
• training and consulting to local companies for the use of data and models in order to optimize the phytosanitary defense by reducing the number of treatments.