Summary

Conventional farming practices are largely based on the preventive application of protective measures for plants. This includes spraying plants with pesticides within a pre-set frequency. However, this method means pesticides are often applied even when the plants are not affected by pests.

During the implementation of this EIP-AGRI project, the Operational Group (OG) scanned the fields with the help of drones and spectral cameras – a process that provides more information than a standard camera. The consultants and researchers used the spectral data to identify the degree of damage to the plants (diseases, pests) and provided recommendations to the farmers, on how the damaged plants should be treated. The OG created an online platform with maps showing the damage caused by diseases and/or pests, in a visual format, using the results of previous scanning and offering recommendations for each case.

Results

The Integrated Pest Identification and Control System created by the project allows the detection of pests in fields, gardens and kitchen gardens and determines the optimal time for protective measures. 

The data makes it possible to develop an agrochemical model of the farm including the preparation of a tillage, sowing, fertilisation and spraying plan, as well as a map of the farm’s fields. 

After testing, the economic benefits of timely fertilisation and appropriate fertiliser amounts were estimated. The profit of the pilot farms increased from 9 to 34 EUR/ha.