We live in a time when technology, artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things could be an indispensable ally in fruit growing.

A group of 25 farmers in the Aconcagua Valley (Chile) transformed their management in the field thanks to the use of a series of instruments capable of objectively determining the level of water stress in plants and monitoring their nutritional levels.

The use of these cutting-edge technologies combined with the knowledge of the farmers themselves became a powerful tool for controlling irrigation and the efficient use of water and fertilizers.

Dr. Carlos Zúñiga, a specialist in irrigation and precision agriculture at INIA LA Cruz, said that it is estimated that the use of these precision instruments can reduce the use of fertilizers and water by at least 30%. “This is especially relevant considering the decrease in water availability due to climate change and the increase in the average cost of fertilizers by around 30%.”

The use of technology for table grapes such as advanced sensors, including capacitance and electrical conductivity sensors, multispectral cameras, porometers, fluorometers, spectrometers and microtensiometers, allow efficient management of water and fertilizers, optimizing resources and contributing to more sustainable and responsible agriculture.

Three conferences given within the framework of the Technological Diffusion Program (PDT INIA): “Increasing the efficiency of fertilization and irrigation in table grape producers in the Valparaíso region through the analysis of multispectral images and the use of sensors” explored how Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies are transforming irrigation and fertigation management in agriculture.

The Technological Diffusion Program (PDT INIA) was executed by INIA La Cruz and was funded by CORFO and its purpose was to contribute to increasing the efficiency of fertilization and water use in table grape producers in the Valparaíso region, through the dissemination of the analysis of multispectral images and the use of sensors.

Experts from the University of Concepción analyzed how these technologies allow precise and real-time monitoring of key parameters of both the crop and the pumping systems.

Dr. Mario Lillo PhD, professor at the University of Concepción and associate researcher at the Center for Water Resources for Agriculture and Mining (CRHIAM) raised reflections on the digitalization of water and its impact on the management of this resource. He addressed key concepts such as digitalization strategies, which use technologies to monitor and optimize the use of water, especially in agriculture.

He highlighted the importance of data and the need to address the digital divide to ensure equitable access. “We presented application examples, highlighting the H2Org tool and emphasized that through an inclusive and collaborative approach, water digitalization can be leveraged and move towards a more efficient and sustainable future.”

Likewise, Dr. Christian Correa Farías, Director of the Department of Mechanization and Energy of the Faculty of Agricultural Engineering at the University of Concepción, spoke about “Audit system in irrigation and fertigation using Internet of Things technology and artificial intelligence.”

Dr. Correa explained to the seminar attendees how these technologies allow for precise and real-time monitoring of key parameters of both the crop and the pumping systems. To do so, he analyzed how Artificial Intelligence, integrated with the Internet of Things, optimizes energy consumption and monitors the evolution of irrigation efficiency to ensure operations in optimal ranges. “We presented the contribution of Artificial Intelligence to predictive maintenance, where real-time data analysis allows anticipating and preventing failures in the system, ensuring continuous operation with efficiencies close to those of the design.”

In conclusion, he highlighted emerging innovations and the offer of strategies to implement these technologies in the field.

The presentation on the use of nearby and remote sensors for irrigation and fertilization control in table grapes was given by Dr. Carlos Zúñiga Espinoza, researcher in soil and water management and precision agriculture.

In this talk he addressed the use of nearby and remote sensors such as capacitance sensors, porometer, spectrometer, microtensiometer and multispectral images explaining how these tools allow irrigation and fertilization control in table grapes.

This necessary knowledge in the use of these instruments was delivered to farmers through talks or workshops, demonstrations of their use in the field where their use and benefits were disseminated to overcome this knowledge gap and also contribute to environmentally, socially and economically sustainable agriculture.

In addition to showing the results obtained by validating the use of different sensors during the execution of the program and how these instruments can be implemented by producers, the objective was to encourage and generate confidence in the use of these technologies. "The way to use these inputs accurately requires technical knowledge that is related to the time of application, the right amount and the precise place where they should be applied," says the specialist.

This pioneering initiative addressed one of the main challenges facing table grape cultivation in the Aconcagua area, which is the water crisis. Laboratory analyses were carried out on soil and plant tissue samples taken from the beneficiaries' farms. All the information collected was used to better manage the fertilization of their crops, the management of water for irrigation and the use of sensors.

It is necessary, concluded the specialist, to continue researching and encouraging the use of these tools among producers, since they can be economically profitable to achieve sustainability in the production of both table grapes and other crops.

The Institute of Agricultural Research (INIA) is the main agricultural research institution in Chile, dependent on the Ministry of Agriculture, with a presence from Arica to Magallanes. Its mission is to generate and transfer strategic knowledge and technologies on a global scale, to produce innovation and improve the competitiveness of the agri-food sector.