Sensor data for Dutch arable farmers

Sensor data can be used to make arable farming more profitable. A young Dutch enterprise, Appsforagri, is showing this through a pilot project they are currently running with more than 200 farmers. They start by setting up a network of small weather stations on the farms. Sensors measuring air, soil and crop temperature and moisture collect a constant flow of data. Soil temperature is used to predict lice, Phytofthora and thrips. The combination of this data is used to calculate the potential pest or disease pressure for each crop. The company designed an app to transfer this data into ready-to-use information for the farmer, connecting it to crop protection models for more than 40 arable crops. The farmers thus get field/crop-specific advice on when to spray to reach the best effect while using fewer pesticides. Aart Monster from Appsforagri says, “The farmers involved in the testing have reached savings of 60€ per ha on plant protection. Also, more accurate spraying results in a higher yield.”

Pest monitoring in Slovenia

A small company from Slovenia has developed an automated pest monitoring system for different crops which can provide a solution to this problem. Pheromone traps are used to monitor insects, and the system produces real-time overviews of the insect population in the fields. It is a system which can also be collaborative, and if the farmer agrees to be part of the network, they can also see what other traps from other places have captured. This enables farmers to forecast when migrating pests may arrive.

This project is funded by Horizon 2020.

Controlling pollen beetles in Switzerland

Meligethes aeneus (pollen beetle) are a threat to oilseed rape. They migrate to the crops during the spring, damaging buds to feed on the pollen and nectar in the buds. In Swiss organic production as well as in Swiss IPM production, the use of insecticides in oilseed rape is prohibited. FiBL is developing an alternative non-insecticidal method to control pollen beetles. During migration, oilseed rape pests use volatile cues (signals given off by plants) to locate their host plants. This project is developing a control strategy for the pollen beetle based on repellent odours. By introducing such odours to the field, the beetles find it much harder to locate their host plants.

The project started with lab screenings of different essential oils, then, based on the two most promising oils, 21 different spray formulations, as well as 16 different types of odour dispensers, were developed, tested and analysed. Four different odour dispensers are currently being tested under on-farm conditions on organic oilseed rape fields in Switzerland. Claudia Daniel says, “We are currently considering technical solutions, such as application by drones, but there are still several obstacles to overcome. The input and feedback from farmers is especially important during this stage of the project”.