The application of technology is increasingly expanding into the rural sphere, also reaching fruit crops. Smart sensors, artificial intelligence, automation systems and crop prediction, among other technological solutions, are providing competitive advantages to advance the sustainability and profitability of plantations. In response to this new paradigm in agriculture, Expo AgriTech 2024 will be the international meeting point to learn about the digital initiatives that are contributing to the global transformation of the agricultural sector.
The event, which will bring together more than 8,000 professionals from the world of the countryside in Malaga, Spain, from 26 to 28 November, will be positioned as the largest innovation event in the agri-food industry. In this context, the Fruit Growing Forum will be held, a unique space dedicated to the entire value chain of this segment, which will showcase the innovations that are boosting competitiveness in the field of sweet and tropical fruits.
In the latter case, Andalusia is consolidating its position as a reference area in Europe for the planting of warm climate varieties due to its extensive terrain and meteorological conditions. For this reason, the summit will be attended by leaders from well-known firms such as Trops and Unica Group, considered to be the leading vegetable exporter in Spain, who will be looking in depth at new marketing systems, distribution circuits and the advantages provided by business platforms in the sphere of tropical crops at a time of high demand on a continental scale.
In turn, Expo AgriTech 2024 will feature the experience of prominent leaders such as Benjamin Schütze, a member of the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials, a German research and technology centre of great prestige in Europe, who will show the digital systems, implemented with artificial intelligence, that are proving successful in German commercial fruit growing. Thanks to the collaboration of researchers from this institution, the country is working to open up ways of accompanying growers throughout the fruit value chain, from the moment the tree is planted until it reaches the market.
Against this background, Schütze will present the results of the SAMSON project, a state-of-the-art monitoring system that uses AI to record tree properties, from which action measures can be derived in the form of application maps. Transferring these maps to a GPS-enabled sprayer allows each tree to be treated according to its needs. This significantly reduces the costs of crop protection products and increases their yield through more uniform application. In figures, the technology is enabling an increase in yield of €200,000 per year.
Expo AgriTech will also explore the viability of regenerative fruit farming, analysing its principles, benefits and challenges in implementing sustainable agricultural practices in fruit growing. The most innovative proposals will be put on the table so that fruit growers in the field can use them. This is the case of plant covers, which guarantee useful fauna in fruit orchards by generating a symbiosis between plantations and insects; or Agricaptur, a tool that uses LED lights to manage pests and diseases without the need to use pesticides in order to contribute to making the countryside more socially, environmentally and economically sustainable. In addition to these initiatives, procedures will be presented to help fruit trees reach the market with the regenerative or ecological agriculture label.
Automation and crop prediction
In relation to regenerative fruit growing, irrigation automation and fertigation in fruit orchards have a very close relationship. For this reason, Expo AgriTech 2024 will showcase the latest tools for systematising water distribution and fertiliser application in the water network, highlighting their benefits in terms of water and nutrient use efficiency, as well as their impact on productivity and sustainability. Along these lines, Argentina, which is participating as a guest country in this first edition of the Countryside 4.0 Fair, will present the main developments that respond to the challenges related to smart irrigation and fertigation in fruit trees.
The fair will also give attendees the opportunity to participate in a number of workshops to increase crop efficiency. One of these will examine the estimation of agricultural yields, which will be attended by three leading companies in the sector, who will share their advanced tools to optimise the planning and maximisation of harvesting. Among the names that will take part in the workshop are David Francés, CEO of Agerpix, specialising in technological solutions to make crops profitable and improve yields; Nicolás Juste, R&D project coordinator at Anecoop Cítricos, one of the largest citrus exporters in the world; and Gonzalo Martín, Product and Innovation Director at Hispatec, specialists in software and AgTech for all the agents in the agri-food network.