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The first appearances of hazelnuts in Italy date back to the 1400s, although actual coriliculture did not begin to spread until the late 1800s. Currently, the Belpaese is the world's second largest producer of hazelnuts, after Turkey. However, production is destined to grow, driven by a general increase in consumption. In the Peninsula there are about 120 thousand hectares dedicated to hazelnuts and they are mostly located in Campania, Piedmont and Lazio, in the Viterbese area.
The Asian stone bug is a polyphagous insect, capable of feeding at the expense of a wide range of host species. Among these, the hazelnut is particularly attractive, and despite the presence of a shell that protects the seed, the bug thanks to its stinging-sucking mouthparts can easily penetrate it to feed, impairing its normal development. In the most severe cases, whenH. halys populations are particularly high and the attack is early, there can be a total loss of production. On the other hand, when the attack occurs late, with the fruit already formed, the damage may be more contained but still not negligible.
The bug performs two generations per year, often overlapping each other, causing damage throughout the production season. This means that to maximize the effectiveness of defense interventions, monitoring is essential. By intercepting the first generation, it is therefore possible to stop the rise of the pest's population while limiting the development of the second. Pheromone traps placed at the edges of fields can be used to monitor the presence of the bug, or the frappage technique can be used. The latter involves spreading a white sheet under trees, shaking the branches and counting the insects that fall on it. However, these techniques require some manpower and constant presence in the field, forcing the farmer to travel to the plots frequently. In the face of considerable time loss, however, such monitoring remains circumscribed and not always accurate.
To support farmers and supply chains in monitoring the Asian stink bug, xFarm Technologies has developed a new series of smart traps for remote monitoring of this and other pests. The solution in question (xTrap Stink), combines the latest IoT (Internet of Things), AI (Artificial Intelligence) and ML (Machine Learning) technologies to provide a comprehensive solution capable of monitoring via automatic counting the presence ofH. halys. More specifically, the equipment consists of an atrium for the entry of the bug, a mass containment compartment, and a passage sensor. The bug enters the atrium attracted by the pheromone, the sensor records its passage and sends the data toapp every hour. Once inside the compartment, the bug remains trapped.
Catch data are cross-referenced with environmental data and analyzed by Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning algorithms. These analyses take place through the use of specific predictive models and make it possible to provide the farmer with not only a real-time count of catches, but also an indication of population development. In practice, the 'app sends alerts via message or e-mail, signaling the presence of the insect and providing useful indications to prevent damage through appropriate timing to carry out treatments and contain phytophage populations.
The use of these traps allows the farmer to automatically and remotely control what is happening in his fields, obtaining useful information for predictive defense, consequently maximizing the effectiveness of phytosanitary interventions. This is how consortia, supply chains and monitoring bodies can also benefit from this technology. xFarm in fact provides these players with a modern tool to control on a large scale the catches and consequently, the spread of populations of this phytophage over the territory. In fact, these agencies will be able to visualize on a digital map the location of outbreaks, making targeted decisions aimed at controlling them in a much more timely manner than traditional monitoring methods.
All this is reflected in less travel, greater precision in treatments and healthy, high-quality productions. These are the strengths proposed by xFarm to support all actors in the choriliculture supply chain and accompany them toward a more sustainable agriculture.
Among the first entities to explore the potential of this solution is Ferrero Hazelnut Company, the division dedicated to the hazelnut supply chain of the Ferrero Group. Together with CIA and the University of Turin, automatic xTrap Stink traps were tested during the 2021 season. Specifically, 6 traps were installed in different areas of Piedmont, where the presence of Asian hazelnut bug was overt and caused serious damage to production (Camino, San Giorgio, Chieri, Grugliasco, Bastia Mondovì and Asti). The first year of experimentation produced such positive feedback that interest in more extensive use will be generated during 2022. xFarm will expand the monitoring network, installing more traps throughout the Piedmont region with the aim of creating an even more widespread digital monitoring network.
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