Dr. Agricultura: quality oil thanks to remote monitoring

"To achieve the best quality olive oil, olive fly monitoring is of paramount importance, and technology can give us a big hand."

We are in the company of Alessandro, known on social media as Dr. Agricultura, a young agronomist and farmer from the province of Siena, more specifically Cetona, who will tell us how he uses xFarm within his olive farm.

What does it mean to run an olive farm nowadays?

This is a very very special sector, where the main focus for getting the best quality olive oil is monitoring the olive fly(Bactrocera oleae). In the current scenario, where climate change is taking place and is very evident, combating the olive fly is also very problematic because the insect is constantly moving around.  

Why is this insect so difficult to manage?

Because unfortunately, it is no longer possible to think in a standard way as it was 5-6 years ago, as populations often move from the upper part of the mountains to the lower part of the hills, and these fluctuations are increasingly difficult to intercept. So monitoring takes on an even more important role on my small farm.

How did xFarm help you in this regard?

To do adult flight monitoring, I make use of technology from xFarm, which allows remote data acquisition through automatic traps that take pictures of the captures and recognize and count the insects. Then, to get an overview, so have the most accurate data, I use a microscope to do monitoring of 100 randomly sampled olives.  

Why is monitoring so important for olive tree defense?

By using these two systems I can go in and understand what is going on inside the olive grove and target my treatments: with these two pieces of information I can manage the whole treatment campaign. The nice thing about monitoring with photo traps is that it saves me from going into the field, because the quality of the images allows me to actually understand whether it is the olive fly or not.  

Do you also use other sensors and functions from xFarm?

Yes, I have leaf wetness sensors, soil moisture sensors and the classic weather station, which allow me to keep track of all the environmental parameters and thus move better within the agro ecosystem. By having more information, I can make decisions with more peace of mind about what to do in the field.  

What role can the use of these technologies play in the olive sector?

In my opinion, the use of these systems in olive growing will enable the production of higher quality oils and thus lead to a positive development of the sector.