How De Rust Estate uses infrared imaging as a cost-effective tool to identify and address stress in orchards. By Anna Mouton.
Is there an affordable tool for rapid water-stress detection in orchards? This question set Karin Clüver, production director at De Rust Estate in Elgin, on a path that led to a research project and her MSc at Stellenbosch University’s South African Grape and Wine Research Institute (SAGWRI) under the supervision of Profs Carlos Poblete-Echeverría and Melané Vivier.
Her results confirmed that infrared imaging can map water stress in commercial apple orchards. Read more
A perspective from Tatura SmartFarm. By Anna Mouton.
Agriculture Victoria’s world-renowned Tatura SmartFarm is synonymous with horticultural innovation. Dr Mark O’Connell is a senior research scientist in horticultural production science at Tatura. He has more than three decades of experience in agriculture and currently leads several projects on orchard systems and precision management for stone fruit.
In December 2023, O’Connell organised and chaired the International Society for Horticultural Science’s International Symposium on Precision Management of Orchards and Vineyards, held at Tatura. Read more
A pilot project suggests that machine learning could enable devices to identify infected trees in the orchard. By Anna Mouton.
Plum marbling, caused by plum viroid 1, is named for the irregular skin discoloration associated with infection of Japanese plums. Fruit may also be small and hard with an irregular surface or have corky flesh.
Detecting plum marbling is difficult because infected trees may not develop abnormal fruit every year and appear otherwise normal. In addition, young trees without fruit don’t show signs. Laboratory tests can pick up viroids, but these assays are expensive, and results are not immediately available. Read more
Collecting data is easier than ever, but ensuring we unlock its secrets is more complicated. By Anna Mouton.
Humans excel at identifying patterns — we extract general principles from our experience and use those to deal with new situations. “Humans are incredible in some contexts,” says Prof. Anton Basson. “But we can’t handle very large amounts of data where the patterns are not obvious.”
Basson heads the Mechatronic, Automation and Design Research Group at the Department of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering at Stellenbosch University. His research includes helping companies organise their data and apply machine learning to make sense of it. Read more