Knowing exactly the production volumes a farm will yield, as well as their distribution by size, is now possible with the help of high-end technology applied to agriculture. We are talking about the Israeli FruitSpec system for field analysis, equipped with a hyperspectral camera. It's the first time that this technology has reached Spain and it is already being used in growing areas of Catalonia, Aragon, the Region of Valencia and Andalusia.
"The system uses a hyperspectral camera with a working range far superior to that of the human eye," says Ana María Trifu, FruitSpec's sales manager in Spain. "The fruit can be scanned when it is still very green, from the moment it reaches 30 millimeters. In stone fruit, this precocity allows us to determine, for example, the extent of the thinning to be carried out. When the fruit reaches 45 millimeters, we perform the second scan, which allows us to estimate the volumes and their distribution by diameter. The data is stored in the cloud, in Israel, where the report is made. This report is sent after between 4 and 5 days."
The Israeli company FruitSpec already launched this technology about 5 years ago and since then it has carried out large projects domestically, in the United States, in Chile and in South Africa, among other countries. "Now we are introducing it in Spain, starting with fruit companies in Catalonia since March. We have provided the service in later stone fruit farms and we hope to arrive in time for the start of the preparations for the next season. We have also worked in apple farms and now we are starting to introduce the technology in the citrus and wine sectors. We are seeing a lot of interest and enthusiasm from the marketers who buy the fruit in the field, as this allows them to negotiate prices with growers based on accurate data," says Ana María.
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The bar graphs show the percentage of stone fruit of each size, and the plot map shows the areas with more or less fruit.
"The use of this technology allows for better crop planning and marketing, optimization of the logistics and packing. We do the work in the field, but the real value is in the office. It is no longer necessary to make decisions by eye, but on the basis of 90 to 100% reliable data. When the client requests our service, we travel with the equipment to perform the scanning. We offer customized budgets, depending on the size of the plots and how they are arranged. We have worked with both small and large plantations.
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Colored green, grape vines with more bunches than the grower desires; the percentage of bunches in the vineyard based on the number of grapes in the bunches. Estimation of the kilos to be harvested and the number of bunches.
For more information:
Ana María Trifu
Fruit Spec
+34 628 538 002
Luis Miguel Casado Díaz
+34 607658985
Contact Israel office:
Nadav Leshem
[email protected]
www.fruitspec.com