Pomì in Quota: Precision Agriculture and Smart Drones

In line with ongoing research and development activities aimed at improving crop quality and sustainability, the Casalasco Tomato Consortium, in collaboration with CIO - Interregional Horticultural Consortium, has launched a project called 'Pomì at Height' .
The research, which has been ongoing for over two years, involves several of the associated farms located across the provinces of Piacenza, Parma and Cremona and is based on the use of drones, which are remote-controlled propeller devices without a pilot, capable of flying up to a maximum height of 150 meters.

These drones - already used with excellent results in tree crops such as orchards and vineyards - are equipped with special cameras that allow producers and agronomists to monitor plots through aerial surveys, highlighting soil inconsistencies in terms of crop vegetative development, water and nutrient availability.

From the interpretation of multi-wavelength images captured by drones through mathematical processing, we obtain prescription maps for both water and nutrient management of the plot. In other words, this innovative aerial monitoring provides precise indications on the quantities of water and nutrients to be distributed, allowing for even smarter use of these valuable resources.

Finally, thanks to GPS technology, with which operating machines (irrigators and spreaders) are equipped, and electronic control units that monitor distributed quantities, prescription maps allow for the distribution of the correct amount of water and nutrients in each area of the plot for balanced crop growth, improving the qualitative characteristics of the harvest, preserving the environment from unnecessary excesses, and simultaneously limiting superfluous costs.

“Our goal, together with Cio, – states Costantino Vaia, General Manager of Consorzio Casalasco del Pomodoro and CEO of CIO - is to make tomato cultivation increasingly sustainable. If the results of this first phase of the project confirm our expectations, in the coming years we plan to apply ‘Pomì in Quota’, along with the cutting-edge technologies already in use and developed in precision agriculture, to most of the associated farms until it fully covers our area of expertise.”

This and other important topics regarding environmental sustainability will be discussed at the upcoming World Tomato Congress which will take place in June on Lake Garda in Sirmione.
The most important international experts in the cultivation, processing, and distribution of industrial tomatoes from around the world will attend this important international meeting.
The Consortium, through the Pomì brand, will be one of the main sponsors.