APPLICATIO O APPLE ORCHARDS Dr. Luigi Manfrini

115 Pages·2012·2.73 MB·English

AAllmmaa MMaatteerr SSttuuddiioorruumm –– UUnniivveerrssiittàà ddii BBoollooggnnaa

DOTTORATO DI RICERCA

COLTURE ARBOREE ED AGROSISTEMI FORESTALI OR(cid:17)AME(cid:17)TALI E
PAESAGGISTICI

Ciclo XXI – AGR03

P H :
RECISIO(cid:17) ORTICULTURE
A A O
PPLICATIO(cid:17) O(cid:17) PPLE RCHARDS

Dr. Luigi Manfrini

Coordinatore Dottorato
Chiar. mo prof. Luca Corelli Grappadelli

Relatore
Chiar.mo prof. Luca Corelli Grappadelli

Co-Relatore
Dr. James Arnold Taylor

Esame finale anno 2009

Happiness Only Real When Shared
(
Christopher McCandless)

Table of Content
TABLE OF CO(cid:10)TE(cid:10)T

Table of Content .................................................................................................... I
Abstract .................................................................................................................. IV

CHAPTER 1 FROM PRECISIO(cid:10) AGRICULTURE TO PRECISIO(cid:10) HORTICULTURE
1 Introduction ...................................................................................................... 1
1.1 The scientific Vs. applied nature of PA ....................................................... 3
1.2 Variability in the field ................................................................................ 5
1.3 Precision Horticulture ............................................................................... 6
1.4 Precision Agriculture and Horticulture Requirements .......................... 8
1.4.1 Georeferencing ................................................................................... 9
1.4.2 Monitoring Environmental and Crop Parameters ........................ 10
1.4.2.1 Data transfer ................................................................................... 11
1.4.3 Data analyzing ................................................................................... 12
1.4.4 Decision Making ................................................................................ 14
1.4.5 Differential actions ............................................................................ 16
1.5 Conclusion .................................................................................................. 17
1.6 Bibliography ............................................................................................... 18
1.7 Figures and Tables ..................................................................................... 24

CHAPTER 2 SPATIAL A(cid:10)ALYSIS OF THE EFFECT OF FRUIT THI(cid:10)(cid:10)I(cid:10)G O(cid:10)
APPLE CROP LOAD
2 Summary ........................................................................................................ 30
2.1 Introduction ................................................................................................ 31
2.2 Materials and Methods .............................................................................. 35
2.3 Results and Discussions ............................................................................. 39
2.4 Conclusions ................................................................................................. 45
2.5 References ................................................................................................... 46
2.6 Figures and Tables and Equations ........................................................... 48
I
Table of Content
CHAPTER 3 MODELI(cid:10)G A(cid:10)D I(cid:10)VERSE MODELI(cid:10)G MA(cid:10)AGEME(cid:10)T CLASSES TO
VERIFY THE SPATIAL EFFECT OF E(cid:10)VIRO(cid:10)ME(cid:10)TAL PROPERTIES O(cid:10) APPLE
PRODUCTIO(cid:10)
3 Summary ........................................................................................................ 53
3.1 Introduction ................................................................................................ 54
3.2 Materials and Methods .............................................................................. 56
3.2.1 Crop production data layers ............................................................ 57
3.2.2 Preliminary data analysis ................................................................. 58
3.2.3 MC Analysis 1-Harvest data as the independent variable(s) ........ 59
3.2.4 MC Analysis 2-The inverse approach with environmental data
as the independent variable(s) ......................................................... 59
3.3 Results and Discussions ............................................................................. 61
3.3.1Preliminary Data Analysis ................................................................. 61
3.3.2 Description and Discussion of the Crop Attribute Maps .............. 61
3.3.3 Results and Discussion of Approach 1 - Effectiveness of MCs
Based on Environmental Variables ............................................... 62
3.3.4 Results and Discussion of Approach 2 - The Inverse Modeling
Approach ............................................................................................ 63
3.4 Conclusions ................................................................................................. 66
3.5 References ................................................................................................... 67
3.6 Figures and Tables ..................................................................................... 68

CHAPTER 4 THE DRIVI(cid:10)G FORCE OF (cid:10)UMBERS - HOW TO COLLECT A(cid:10)D
I(cid:10)TERPRET WITHI(cid:10) SEASO(cid:10) VARIATIO(cid:10) I(cid:10) APPLE PRODUCTIO(cid:10)
4 Summary ........................................................................................................ 73
4.1 Introduction ................................................................................................ 74
4.2 Materials and Methods .............................................................................. 76
4.2.1 The suite of Tools to be Used and Rationale for their Use .......... 76
4.2.2 Orchard Characteristics ................................................................. 77
4.2.3 Production Target Calculation ....................................................... 78
4.2.4 Method of Data Collection .............................................................. 78
II
Table of Content
4.2.3.1 Flower Drop Monitoring .................................................... 78
4.2.3.2 Fruit Count........................................................................... 79
4.2.3.3 Fruit Growth Monitoring, Final Fruit Weight, Class
Distribution and Productivity Forecast ........................... 79
4.2.3.4 Harvest Schedule, Quality and Quantity Data
Collection ............................................................................. 80
4.2.3.5 Post Harvest Measurements ............................................... 81
4.2.4 Whole Blocks Analysis .................................................................... 81
4.2.5 Spatial Analysis ................................................................................ 81
4.2.5.1 Map Production ................................................................... 81
4.3 Results and Discussion ............................................................................. 83
4.3.1 Whole Orchards Level .................................................................... 83
4.3.1.1 Flower/Fruitlet Drop ........................................................... 83
4.3.1.2 Fruit Counts ......................................................................... 83
4.3.1.3 Fruit Growth Monitoring and Harvest Forecasted Size
Distribution ......................................................................... 85
4.3.2 Single Block ...................................................................................... 87
4.3.2.1 Maps Description and Discussion ...................................... 87
4.3.3 General Discussion .......................................................................... 89
4.4 Conclusions ............................................................................................... 91
4.5 References ................................................................................................. 93
4.6 Figures and Tables ................................................................................... 95

CHAPTER 5 CO(cid:10)CLUSIO(cid:10) A(cid:10)D FUTURE PERSPECTIVE
5 Aim of the thesis .................................................................................................. 100
5.1 What Have Been Found at Orchard Level? ................................................. 101
5.2. Future Works and Perspectives .................................................................... 103

ACK(cid:10)OWLEDGME(cid:10)TS
III
Abstract
ABSTRACT

Precision horticulture and spatial analysis applied to orchards are a growing and
evolving part of precision agriculture technology. The aim of this discipline is to reduce
production costs by monitoring and analysing orchard-derived information to improve
crop performance in an environmentally sound manner. Georeferencing and
geostatistical analysis coupled to point-specific data mining allow to devise and
implement management decisions tailored within the single orchard. Potential
applications range from the opportunity to verify in real time along the season the
effectiveness of cultural practices to achieve the production targets in terms of fruit size,
number, yield and, in a near future, fruit quality traits. These data will impact not only
the pre-harvest but their effect will extend to the post-harvest sector of the fruit chain.
Chapter 1 provides an updated overview on precision horticulture , while in Chapter 2 a
preliminary spatial statistic analysis of the variability in apple orchards is provided
before and after manual thinning; an interpretation of this variability and how it can be
managed to maximize orchard performance is offered. Then in Chapter 3 a stratification
of spatial data into management classes to interpret and manage spatial variation on the
orchard is undertaken. An inverse model approach is also applied to verify whether the
crop production explains environmental variation. In Chapter 4 an integration of the
techniques adopted before is presented. A new key for reading the information gathered
within the field is offered.
The overall goal of this Dissertation was to probe into the feasibility, the desirability
and the effectiveness of a precision approach to fruit growing, following the lines of
other areas of agriculture that already adopt this management tool. As existing
applications of precision horticulture already had shown, crop specificity is an
IV
Abstract
important factor to be accounted for. This work focused on apple because of its
importance in the area where the work was carried out, and worldwide.
V
Chapter 1
CHAPTER 1
FROM PRECISIO(cid:15) AGRICULTURE TO PRECISIO(cid:15)
HORTICULTURE

1 Introduction

Give me a place to stand and with a lever I will move the whole world.
Ἀρχιµήδης (Archimedes)

Borrowing from Archimedes, precision agriculture (PA) can be linked to a lever,
constructed from information gathered from a broad array of new technology and tools,
that combined can help modify the agricultural world vision. These disciplines focus on
the causes underpinning the variability found in the fundamental components of
agricultural production: the soil (Webster and Oliver, 1992), the weather and
environment (Reuter et al., 2005), plant genetics (Fernandez-Cornejo et al., 2001) and
their interaction (Pringle et al., 2003). This fundamental knowledge must be
complemented with information on machinery performance (Shueller et al., 1999, Qiao,
2005), and all physical, chemical and biological inputs used in the crop production
(Cupitt and Whelan, 2001, Taylor et al., 2007b).

In our context, the term “precision” refers to the quality or state of being precise, where
precise means minutely exact, a term similar to correct (Pierce and Nowak, 1999). PA
thus becomes a mode of crop management where “correct” agricultural inputs and
practices have to be applied at specific places within a field, in order to do “the right
thing”, in the “right place”, at the “right time”, and in the “right way” (Pierce et al.,
1994).
1