In his presentation, Dr Albert Strever, a senior viticulture lecturer in Stellenbosch University’s Department of Viticulture and Oenology, highlighted the diversity of agricultural technologies currently available to growers.
Strever foresees technology playing an increasingly important role in precision agriculture in the future. Growers can already use innovative technology to inform resource planning, production practices, processing, packaging, and marketing.
Innovation is considered critical to ensuring the sustainability of production in the sector, he emphasised. In SA grape production is threatened by climate change and profitability issues, especially in the wine sector. As a result, there is an increasing need for crop diversification. Sometimes, this means moving away from grapevine cultivation.
Data-based tools to grow knowledge
In the agriculture sector, information and communication technologies have grown significantly in recent years. Over the last decade, satellite technology and related tools have undergone notable evolution. The resolution of satellite products, for instance, has improved considerably.
Strever said: “Nowadays, we can have a 60 cm resolution (image) with clear road differentiation in orchards or vineyards for aspects such as variable rate application. […] It’s not for free, but the costs can be relatively low if you have a larger coverage area that you buy from a satellite provider at one particular event.”
On the machination front, there has recently also been a lot of focus on using autonomous vehicles (i.e. electric tractors) in the sector. Some producers in France are, for instance, already using such vehicles. Although Strever does not foresee this kind of technology becoming mainstream in SA anytime soon (mainly due to import-related cost factors), he does see huge opportunities for integrating such technologies in the long term, given SA’s solar power potential.
He said that many software solutions are already available to the fruit, wine and grape industries to improve production efficiency and provide intelligence for better decision-making and management.
In the Western Cape, growers can use tools like CapeFarmMapper and Terraclim to analyse sustainability (and future suitability).
CapeFarmMapper is an online mapping tool that can assist with spatial information queries and decision-making in agricultural and environmental management. The tool provides free survey information on different portions of farms and districts. TerraClim uses integrated data resources to provide producers with access to detailed climate and terrain information that can help them navigate the increase in seasonal changes.
Fruitlook, a web-based portal with near real-time data based on remote sensing, can also be used by farmers to become more water-efficient and climate-smart.
Some companies are developing tools to help track labour and logistics on farms, including GPS systems and tags. Furthermore, research is underway to develop technology solutions for thermal imaging to help with irrigation scheduling and monitoring canopy temperature. This is in addition to the ongoing development of different sensors, including ones that can track plants’ water status.
There are also several predictive apps available that enable growers to consider climate data in their decision-making, Strever pointed out. Other applications help predict disease or pest infestation before it happens.
Several sustainability technologies are being developed and tested, including tools for stimulating plants with UV light to make them more resistant to fungal infection. Although these technologies do not render the use of chemicals entirely unnecessary, they have significantly reduced their use in vineyards.
Strever foresees many start-ups and technology developers continuing to move away from viewing agriculture as part of a linear economy to it being a component of a circular economy.
There are already many novel solutions related to waste recycling on farms and to the development of photovoltaic technologies for the agricultural sector in Africa. Researchers are also exploring innovative crop-protective netting methods that integrate solar generation capacity on farms.
Data management central to success
According to Strever, proper data management is key to the optimal use of technology on farms. Although there are many initiatives to improve data management across agricultural sectors, data integration and sharing remain largely problematic.
“Traceability is becoming more important to customers,” he said. “We need to look at this neglected area of data ownership, at data management, and at how data sharing is facilitated.”
In the wine industry, research is underway to explore how data intelligence and advances in information technology can be used to integrate the management of data among industry bodies, researchers, service providers and producers.
“(In this regard,) we could try to amalgamate resources between the wine, table grape, raisin, fruit and berry industries, and even look at shared approaches,” he concluded.
Data analysis and robotics also featured in the presentation by Liaan Janse van Vuuren, General Manager Actions and Insights: Aerobotics.
In his presentation on the use of drone technology in grape production, Janse van Vuuren outlined how growers can use drones to add value, increase their yields, and improve efficiency.
Aerobotics’ so-called “smart scouting platform” combines weekly satellite data, automated drone scouting, and in-field scouting data to identify and track every tree on the farm, thereby making it possible to detect problems early and guide farmers to the location of the threat.
Once the drone images are captured, machine learning automatically detects pest and disease problems and alerts the farmer to check the data on the ground and to diagnose specific problems.
“Given the challenges growers are faced with, it is vital to maximise return on investment for every orchard to ensure long-term farming success,” Janse van Vuuren said.
Providing intelligent tools for growers
Robotics provides valuable tools for monitoring production practices and crop performance. This type of technology enables growers, for example, to track the performance of their vines season after season. It also allows them to determine irrigation distribution uniformity, Jansen van Vuuren said.
It is possible to optimise the farmer’s presence in the vineyard using drone technology, he said. “We can make the farmer’s footsteps as efficient as possible. We do this by following an approach that includes steps such as identifying all limiting factors (including irrigation uniformity, soil variability, and pest pressure), quantifying the effects of limiting factors on production (through the use of zonal, vigour and health insights) and then taking action to minimise the limiting factors.”
Janse van Vuuren said this type of technology could be “a guiding light” in assessing underperforming vines and blocks, in gaining aerial insights into ground truth, in identifying factors that limit production, in quantifying and minimising these factors, and ultimately, in optimising production.
“Zonal maps of crop performance can help you as a grower to manage your yields and ensure high-quality grapes season after season,” he said. “This helps you decide on the best course of action to take in optimising production.”
