Optimisation of agricultural resources, a double partnership for Pessl Instruments
The Austrian company specialized in agricultural monitoring techniques has signed two cooperation agreements at EIMA International, one with Huawei, the other Yara. Both aim to improve agricultural productivity through optimal exploitation of resources
Among the many initiatives scheduled at the 42nd edition of Eima International, two important partnerships were signed by Pessl Instruments, the Austrian company specialized in agricultural monitoring techniques. These collaborations are centred around research and development of technologies aimed at increasing agricultural productivity through the rational exploitation of resources and prevention of calamities.
An extensive network of weather stations
The first agreement has been signed between Pessl Instruments and the Chinese Huawei, one of the most important global players in the sector of telecommunication, for the development of new end-to-end solutions, designed not only to reduce risks linked to natural calamities and consequences of adverse weather conditions on agriculture, but to support on a global scale smart and more profitable agricultural practices. The core innovation of the technologies developed jointly by Huawei and Pessl is in fact the Narrow-band Internet of Things (NB-IoT), which starting in 2017 and using the new 3GPP standard of communication will allow to connect remote weather stations, soil moistures sensors and many other devices to the internet. Farmers will, for instance, be able to benefit from a wide connectivity in order to define in a timely and smart way the best solutions for tillage and seeding, or to plan the application of plant protection products. NB-IoT is a highly rewarding solution – a joint note by Pessl and Huawei explains – because it uses a low-cost chip that will reduce consumption, and extensive coverage that allows to connect all regions of the world through the already existing mobile telephone network.
Smart agriculture with the Yara Water Solution
Also the agreement reached by Pessl Instruments and the Norwegian Yara, specialized in the development of fertilizers, crop nutrition programs and technologies for increased agricultural yields, aims to improve productivity. The objective of the agreement signed at EIMA International is to integrate Yara Water Solutions into the system of smart farming solutions developed by Pessl Instruments, with the aim to optimize both the exploitation of water resources and crop nutrition. The new monitoring system in fact allows to measure in a continuous and non-invasive way the changes in turgor pressure in the leaf (responsible for the rigidity of the plant tissue, plant stability and its normal cellular functions) that plays a fundamental role in the growth of plants and in the production of fruits. If a plant is not able to access enough water – the joint note reads – turgor pressure cannot be maintained, causing the plant to wilt. Thanks to the collaboration between the two companies the Yara Water-Sensor, which measures the difference between magnetic pressure and turgor, has been integrated into the Pessl Instruments hardware platform that is already available on the market. This solution allows to send real-time measurement of data (weather, soil moisture, turgor pressure in the leaves, analytical data from the soil and leaf analysis) to the MyYara platform, through the wireless communication system of the Pessl Instruments platform and dedicated API. Users will be able to access on demand recommendations on nutrition and irrigation, but also the history of evapotranspiration and the weather forecast displayed on the portal for the management of crops made available for farmers by Yara. The main objective is apply water and nutrients on the basis of the real needs of the crops, optimizing resources while improving crop quality and quantity. At present Water Solution technology is available for olives and citrus; research and tests are underway to extend the product to other crops such as grapevine, pome and stone fruits, nuts and coffee.
