Presicion Agriculture

Olive oil is one of the major agricultural products of the countries of the Mediterranean Basin. Currently more than 70% of the world’s production is produced in Spain, Italy and Greece, while around 95% is attributed to Mediterranean countries. One of the main threats for the olive production is the pest infestation which results on the distraction of the fruit of the olive tree. One of the main pests that pose a major threat for the production is the olive-fruit fly [Bactrocera oleae (Gmelin) (Dacus oleae) (Diptera, Tephritidae)], which causes high damages to olive fruit production (5 – 15% of the olive oil production) to all countries in the Mediterranean basin. In Greece the main methodology applied to face the problem oft B. oleae infestation is the ground applications with protein baits mixed with insecticides.

To tackle the problem of successful implementation of bait sprays we have developed a holistic approach using embedded systems, GIS and web-based applications in the context of the funded research project ”Design and Implementation of an Integrated System for Optimizing Bait Sprays Against Dacus Oleae by Using Embedded Devices and ICT Technologies”. The aforementioned components are the core of a precision agriculture system able to assist human operators to sense, evaluate and apply proper measurements to minimise the threat from B. oleae. The proposed system is consisted by:

  • A “smart” McPhail trap offering automatic B. oleae population recording and wireless transmission of the related information to the cloud
  • A optimized spraying mechanism offering regulation and control of pressure, flow rate, spraying duration,
  • Continuous spraying recording in terms of both quantity/space,
  • A web-based application offering real-time representation, monitoring and decision making.

This work was performed in collaboration with Associate Professor G. Fouskitakis (Hellenic Mediterranean University), Dr. K. Varikou (Institute of Olive Tree, Subtropical Plants & Viticulture), and Dr. S. Chatzicristophis (Neapolis University Pafos, Cyprus).

Related Publications

  1. Lefteris Doitsidis, George N. Fouskitakis, Kyriaki N. Varikou, Iraklis I. Rigakis, Savvas A. Chatzichristofis, Androniki K. Papafiippaki, Athanasia E. Birouraki, “Remote Monitoring of the Bactrocera oleae (Gmelin) (Diptera: Tephritidae) Population Using an Automated McPhail Trap”, Computers and Electronics in Agriculture, vol. 137, pp. 69-78, 2017.
  2. G. N. Fouskitakis, L. Doitsidis, H. Rigakis, K. Varikou, I. Sarantopoulos, “Design and Development of Embedded Systems for Precision Agriculture Applications: The Case of Monitoring Dacus Oleae Population and Bait Sprays,” in proceedings of the International Conference ‘Science in Technology’ SCinTE 2015.
  3. George N. Fouskitakis, Lefteris D. Doitsidis, Iraklis I. Rigakis, Kyriaki N. Varikou, Ioannis V. Sarantopoulos, Androniki K. Papafilippaki, Kyriaki G. Maniadaki, Athanasia E. Mpirouraki, and Emmanuel N. Antonidakis, “Optimization of Bait Sprays Against Dacus Oleae Using Embedded Systems, GIS and Web-Based Applications”, in Proceedings of the AMSCE 2015.
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