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At the Laimburg Experimental Centre in South Tyrol, the first digital outdoor laboratory for fruit and wine growing is being created with the "Lido" (Laimburg Integrated Digital Orchard). In this project, researchers, consultants, companies, vintners and farmers are testing new methods and technologies in practical use. These include sensors, robots, drones, systems for data management and data transmission, also in combination with each other. In this way, the technical possibilities of digitalisation, robotics, automation and artificial intelligence are to be harnessed and agriculture made "smart".
Various technologies and systems are to be tested and further developed at the Lido: These include predictive models for forecasting frost, combating infections with diseases and infestations by invasive insects, the use of camera systems for recognising blossoms, fruits and tree shapes; soil moisture sensors for recording water availability; automatic picking robots for harvesting; stationary application technology for spreading fertilisers and pesticides; systems for automated irrigation as well as technologies for transmitting and controlling measured values.
The head of the Institute of Fruit and Viticulture and coordinator of the project, Walter Guerra, explains its special feature: "There is no other facility like it where these technologies can be researched, developed and demonstrated in combination - i.e. as a 'system of systems'. This approach allows us to exploit synergies between the technologies, but also to investigate possible interactions between them." Lido is scheduled to be operational in 2022.
(al / Photo: Lido)