RDP/OR/PON/EU PROJECTS

Extension of the Fert-Irrinet service to the main crops of fertigation interest and development of a smartphone application

Lead partner institution: CER - Application no. 5149531 Focus Area 4B Duration 01/04/2020 - 30/09/2022 Grant granted € 322,897.64 Project manager: Dr. Stefano Anconelli - CER; Scientific COORDINATOR: Prof. Moreno Toselli - University of Bologna DISTAL

The general objective of the project is to extend the results obtained in a previous plan called FERT-IRRINET, financed by the regional PSR under Measure 16.1.01, to the main fruit and vegetable crops in the region, managed with fertigation. For the crops analysed (tomato, potato, maize and pear), this plan made it possible to optimise the use of mineral fertilisers, significantly reducing nitrogen losses and increasing yields and production quality. In order to make the fertiliser advice provided by IRRINET accessible to a wide audience, we intend to study and develop a user-friendly application model for smartphones and tablets that provides the main nutrient indications (N, P and K) and the advice for their fractionation in time for the following crops: Wine grape, Peach, Apricot, Apple, Actinidia, Plum, Cherry, Strawberry, Onion, Melon, Asparagus, Carrot and Watermelon.

The product is addressed to all farmers and technicians enrolled in IRRINET who also have an interest in the nutritional management of their crops.

New GIS-based information system for forecasting the risk of mycotoxin contamination in cereals

Lead partner institution: CRPV - Application no. 5149128 Focus Area 2A Duration 01/01/2020 - 27/10/2022 Grant granted € 177.545,28 Project manager: Dr. Claudio Selmi - CRPV Scientific coordinator: Prof.ssa Paola Battilani - Università Cattolica del S. Cuore of Piacenza DIPROVES

The main objective of the plan is to develop a GIS-based information system that will be implemented through the acquisition of modelling for forecasting the risk of contamination at harvest by mycotoxins in cereals, developed by the UCSC of Piacenza, in order to automate the simulation process and expand the output to the entire territory; To this end, the platform will be able to automatically import meteorological data from the ARPAE network and from any farm weather sensors and provide, again fully automatically, the results of simulations expressed with a synthetic judgement (no, low, medium or high risk) by weather quadrant.

An equal fundamental objective will be the implementation of the system with a machine learning approach, in order to consider the company's cultivation techniques in order to significantly improve the reliability of forecasts. To this end, the platform will be able to acquire farm agronomic data (soil tillage, sowing density, fertilisation, defence, irrigation, etc.), allowing farms and technical assistance structures to consult territorial maps, rather than synthetic indices and judgments, regarding the risk of mycotoxin contamination in cereals at harvest time, from the farm level down to the territorial level.

Sustainable System for Best Tomato and Corn Production

Lead partner institution: Cooperativa Agricola Braccianti Territorio Ravennate (C.A.B. Ter.Ra.) - Application no. 5150012, Focus Area 4B, Duration 01/04/2020 - 30/09/2022, Grant € 352.040,70 Project manager: Dr. Valerio Raggi - Agronica Group Scientific coordinator: Prof. Gianni Gilioli - University of Brescia Agrofood Lab

The summary objective of the project plan is the implementation of a Decision Support System (DSS) as an integrated software platform for the control of primary production with a holistic approach and a paradigm of circularity and interoperability dealing with the innovative integration and synergic feeding between defence models, irrigation, fertirrigation, phenologies, production estimates, varietal choices and crop seasons, field interventions, regulatory constraints, with the aim of improving the aspects of environmental sustainability and crop production.

The specific objectives are as follows:

Adaptation of phenological and production models for maize and tomato: model-based tools (phenological model and production model) calibrated and locally validated to operationally support agronomic choices.

Performance evaluation of different management adaptation strategies to minimise climate impacts and increase the efficiency of resource use (e.g. changes in irrigation management - timing, frequency of intervention, doses; changes in sowing dates - advances, postponements).

Adapting models in order to protect the main crop pests:

Corn borer: calibration and validation of an advanced phenological model for the corn borer (Ostrinia nubilalis) with simulation of the timing of emergence of the various developmental stages of the pest considering the potential role of mortality and fecundity on the phenology of the species, as well as consideration of the role of temperature and climatic extremes on the timing of emergence and potential impact of the pest (normalised potential density).

Tomato downy mildew (Phytophthora infestans) (the most dangerous cryptogamic disease of solanaceous plants) and Tomato yellow moth (Helicoverpa armigera) (whose damage in Emilia-Romagna is severe and largely affects the industrial tomato crop).

Feeding models for considering the time of effectiveness of treatments accompanied by disease observation through monitoring.

Optimisation of the use of water for irrigation purposes and reduction of chemical and organic fertiliser inputs through the development of Irrinet-Irriframe models (ANBI-CER platform) both in terms of irrigation balance and single-council production of water.

Varietal evaluation by sowing/transplanting time of different hybrids to reduce the effects of climate change while respecting and eventually improving production standards and necessary timetables required by the agro-food industry.

Development of an innovative system of sustainable management and certification of production inputs

Lead partner institution: Impresa Verde Emilia Romagna - Application no. 5150328, Focus Area 4B, Duration 01/04/2020 - 30/09/2022, Grant € 356,472.61 Project manager: Ing. Fabrizio Paglierani - Agronica Group; Scientific coordinator: Prof. Roberta Masin - University of Padua DAFNAE

The project aims to define zootechnical wastewater management models that allow, with minimal effort for farmers and breeders, digital control of spreading practices. By using proximal and remote sensors, it is in fact possible to study the spatial and temporal variability of each portion of the plot by detecting and examining the different pedological, chemical and physical characteristics of the soil. In this context, the project focuses on analysing and developing AP practices for nutrition to make the process as scalable as possible. In order to establish the exact amount of biomass to be distributed in order to mitigate environmental impacts and improve agronomic performance. However, it is also necessary to know the characteristics of the wastewater used, in particular the nutrient and organic matter content. As a result, models will be developed and validated to most accurately predict these characteristics from information such as the diet of the livestock, the breed reared, the type of housing, the time of year, etc.

Knowing the characteristics of the soil and the characteristics of the wastewater, it is then possible to manage the spreading in a site-specific way, for example by reducing manure and slurry inputs in areas with high nitrogen supplies or increasing them where the soil is poor in organic matter; decrease doses where there is a high water table, thus reducing the risk of nitrate leaching; or modulate spreading according to texture, for example applying low but constant quantities in sandy soils in order to reduce nitrate losses to the water table while maintaining soil fertility.

Sustainability of the meat supply chain through optimisation of animal feed and management of livestock farms with precision farming and zootechnics practices

Lead partner: B.F. Agricola srl - Application no. 5202555, Focus Area 3A, Duration 01/04/2021 - 31/03/2023, Grant granted 236.458,56 € Project manager: Ing. Fabrizio Paglierani - Agronica Group; Scientific coordinator: Dr. Aldo Dal Pra - CRPA

The main objective of the project is the creation of an integrated information system for the meat zootechnical chain, for the management of all the information necessary to guarantee traceability, monitoring of management results and support for the fodder production and stable management phase, also with the aid of IoT sensors for the reduction of production inputs and the related environmental impact.

Precision animal husbandry techniques are used for the daily production of the diets fed to livestock in order to reduce rationing errors, related to the considerable qualitative variability of hay, grain and silage: data show a variability of nitrogen and fibre inputs that can exceed 20% of the theoretically expected values. Inaccuracies in rations are reflected in the health and productivity of the animals and, overall, lead to a considerable waste of resources.

Precision feeding that guarantees, through constant monitoring of the physical-chemical characteristics of the biomasses, the correct dietary balance (in terms of quantity and quality) of the nutrients supplied allows for an increase in productivity and animal welfare, but also has beneficial effects on the environment. In fact, the elimination of metabolic residues, such as indigestible nutrients, methane and urea, into the environment is reduced, favouring, on the other hand, their greater retention and transfer into useful products, thus increasing feed conversion efficiency. The actual effectiveness of the diets adopted and the precision systems used in rationing is achieved through 360 degree monitoring of the process in the barn by means of sampling and surveys. In addition to more efficient utilisation of substances, and thus better environmental and economic performance, digital management of both agricultural and livestock processes can enable traceability and certification of treatments carried out and practices implemented.

Development of smart organisational supports at the service of the seed supply chain for the implementation of a certified mark of origin.

Lead partner institution: ASSOSEMENTI_Associazione Italiana Sementi - Application no. 5202554, Focus Area 3A, Duration 01/04/2021 - 31/03/2023, Grant € 229,964.50 Project manager: Ing. Fabrizio Paglierani - Agronica Group; Scientific coordinator: Prof. Enrico Noli - University of Bologna DISTAL

The seed production sector in Emilia-Romagna plays a fundamental role in the area's agricultural economy, in terms of the number of production companies involved, the number of seed companies involved in the processing phases and, above all, the balance of payments, since the seed produced is largely exported.

Through the introduction of technical and mechanical innovations and adjustments to processing structures, the aim is to strengthen the role of the seed chain, which already today is a reality of excellence in the agricultural panorama not only regionally and nationally but also internationally, in the awareness that only through continuous renewal is it possible to maintain market leadership. The applications of information technology to the agricultural sector have undergone considerable development in recent years, and the 'Seed Mapping' software, capable of facilitating the verification of the distance between seed crops in order to exclude possible genetic contamination between multiplying crops, is a valid example. The software, already fully used by all sugar beet seed breeding companies and horticultural species seed breeding companies, allows the georeferencing of plots, defining through complex algorithms the isolation distances and possible interferences between crops of the same species but of different varieties.

This project stems from the need expressed by all operators in the supply chain to create additional IT support to be integrated with the 'Seed Mapping' software portal that, in addition to offering guarantees of spatial isolation and genetic quality, can help seed company technicians to control crop management more effectively and quickly, and through technologically advanced 'new labelling', allow better management of the traceability chain as the harvested material enters the processing and storage warehouses. Within the seed sector, the project focuses on seed beet and sunflower with the aim of developing tools and operational protocols that can be easily extended to other crops in the sector.

Extension of the Fert-Irrinet service to the main crops of fertigation interest and development of a smartphone application

Lead partner institution: CER - Application no. 5206511 Focus Area 5A Duration 01/04/2021 - 30/11/2022 Grant granted € 182,172.06 Project manager: Dr. Roberto Genovesi - CER; Scientific coordinator: Prof. Massimo Guerrero - University of Bologna DICAM

The Plan aims to provide cognitive and operational tools (new modules in the IrriNet DSS managed by CER) to Land Reclamation Consortia and farms operating in the coastal area of the Emilia-Romagna Region, for a more prudent management of irrigation water and the maintenance of low salinity levels in water and soils, as well as to enhance rice cultivation as an indispensable protection for otherwise marginal agricultural areas. At the same time, the value of the ecosystem service, provided by the Land Reclamation Consortia themselves, through the management of the consortium's water drainage and delivery network, in areas that are critical to the running of agriculture, will be estimated.

Expected results

• <span “times="””" new="””" roman”="””">        Valutazione del beneficio ecosistemico derivato dalla presenza di canali irrigui in prossimità della costa, in relazione sia all’efficienza del trasporto dell’acqua, sia al contrasto al cuneo salino.
• <span “times="””" new="””" roman”="””">        Valutazione del beneficio ambientale ed economico indotto dalla presenza di aree umide sul contrasto alla subsidenza, alla salinizzazione del suolo e il beneficio alle aree agricole prossimali.
• <span “times="””" new="””" roman”="””">        Realizzazione sul DSS IrriNet di un modulo per il consiglio irriguo, che tenga conto anche della maggiore frazione idrica da apportare in presenza di acque e suoli salini (leaching requirement).
• <span “times="””" new="””" roman”="””">        Realizzazione sul DSS IrriNet di un modulo di calcolo per il bilancio idrico del riso e determinazione del beneficio ecosistemico determinato da tale coltura del riso su aree altrimenti marginali per l’agricoltura.

Farms operating close to the coast and registered in the IrriNet service will receive new functions, both for determining the right water supply to crops for salt leaching and for irrigation management of the rice crop. The Land Reclamation Consortia, on the other hand, will receive the necessary evaluation elements for optimal management of the water conveyed in the canals, not only to meet the irrigation requirements of neighbouring farms, but also to counteract the salt wedge, in order to ptotect the agricultural areas located further inland. In areas at risk of subsidence and difficult to manage hydraulically ("hydraulically sensitive" areas), the consortia will be provided with tools to evaluate alternative management and the possible costs and benefits.

Development of IO services for the knowledge and organisation of the processing tomato chain

Lead partner institution: POI of processing tomatoes in Northern Italy - Application n. 5112049 Focus Area 3A Duration 01/03/2020 - 31/08/2022 Grant granted € 176.977,89 Project manager: Dr. Vanni Tisselli - CRPV; Scientific coordinator: Prof. Stefano Amaducci - Università Cattolica del S. Cuore of Piacenza DIPROVES

The general objective of the project is to make the role of the processing tomato O.I. more and more central in the process that generates information to support the supply chain, so as to be able to manage it and play a leading role as a hinge between the agricultural world and the industrial world for an increasingly greater valorisation of tomatoes on the markets.

As technologies are advancing rapidly, the IO intends, on behalf of its members who will be individually and collectively involved, to set up a crop classification and production forecasting system based on ESA Sentinel 2 satellite images to derive technical information that can be used to better plan the various interventions by both the farm and the processing industry. Another general objective is to be able to have real-time data during the campaign to know the quantities delivered to the industries and their quality levels, so as to be able to better manage the scheduling of harvesting and processing.

Financed under measure 16 of the RDP 2014-2020 of Veneto. Lead partner for the cereal harvest DE LOTTO "LA CEREAL" S.R.L.

The arable crops sector will have to be more resilient to the stresses of a market that is increasingly volatile in terms of prices and needs, demonstrating the ability to act on management, reducing production costs, segmenting the product offer and building consumer loyalty, pursuing their satisfaction with respect to the nutritional, health and environmental requirements.

It follows that the project is part, with the evaluations aimed at rationalising the use of inputs as much as possible, with particular attention to the containment of mycotoxins, in a broader need to valorise maize in order to give rise to categories that allow the nutritional, bromatological and technological characteristics of national corn to be made clear and recognised.

Sito di progetto >

Enhancement of olive genetic resources and introduction of new low environmental impact techniques in the PDO Cartoceto area.

RDP Marche 2014/2020 - Measure 16.1 - Support for the establishment and management of operational groups of the EIP on agricultural productivity and sustainability

The aim of the Oliv-get project is the empowerment of olive production in the Marche hills through pilot clibrate actions in the Cartoceto PDO area. The objective will be pursued through the introduction of innovations focused on increasing yield, production quality and ecological and economic sustainability. The project will promote the certified propagation of the Raggiola cultivar. The cultivar is the basis of PDO production and, as a locally selected germplasm, is particularly adapted to specific environmental conditions; however, no certified genetic material is currently available for this cultivar. Starting from high quality seedlings, the project will support rational planting by suggesting higher density solutions. Technical innovations will be applied in the management of both new and traditional plantings and monumental trees. Dedicated and georeferenced survey tools will be provided to farmers as decision support. Pathogen and pest control, irrigation, nutrition and harvest time will all be calibrated accordingly, thus reducing the economic and environmental impact of culture and maximising the timeliness and effectiveness of intervention.

Technological support in defining the harvest time will increase the quality of the oil, thus enhancing the value of the PDO. The analysis of oil quality will also be adopted as an indicator of weaknesses in the production chain, thus establishing a positive recursive approach. The project will also focus on the technical training of professionals who will ensure the persistence and promotion of the proposed innovations and represent the new generation of technicians needed for the generation change.

Sito di progetto >

Energetic and agronomic valorisation of pruning residues from tree crops

PSR 2014-2020 Puglia Measure 16.2 Lead Partner OP Puglia Olives; Technical and Scientific Responsible Prof Massimo Monteleone University of Foggia Dept. of Agriculture Funding 500.000,00 €; Duration: 1/10/2020 - 5/7/2022

The project aims to smooth the innovation creation circuit, to promote production diversification processes towards the agro-energy sector, to implement aggregation processes of enterprises and a short supply chain model, to promote the sustainable management of soil fertility resources, climate change mitigation, carbon sequestration, the recovery of waste and by-products from agricultural industries, to contribute to the self- consumption of energy by agricultural and agro-food enterprises according to a micro-energy generation model.

The specific objective of the project is to encourage the use of olive prunings for energy generation through pyrolysis in order to avoid the burning of waste in open fields, a cause of pollution and fires, to develop a production chain capable of generating additional income and cancel out the energy costs of the agricultural industries (oil mills), to obtain a carbon residue (biochar) that can be used as a valuable soil conditioner, capable of sequestering carbon, to adopt innovative agronomic methods to preserve the organic substance and fertility of agricultural soil.

Olive Management through the use of Innovation and Control

RDP 2014-2020 Apulia Measure 16.2 Lead Partner OP Apulia Olives; Technical and Scientific Coordinator Prof Bernardo De Gennaro University of Bari DISAAT; Funding € 500,000.00; Duration: 1/10/2020 - 5/7/2022

In order to strengthen the involvement of farmers in the process OF MODERNISATION, it is intended to promote, in the olive sector, a technological approach that is able not only to increase the efficiency of resource use, but also to support the decisions needed to manage process variables. To this end, the project intends to refer to enabling technologies through which specific context variables can be acquired and interpreted.

Specific objectives of the project are the reduction of the competitiveness gap between the Apulian olive- growing model and those of competitor countries, the improvement and streamlining of the decision-making model on the main cultivation operations that impact on the environment and on the company's budget , the definition of Operational Protocols with precision detection methods and the use of Innovation Technologies to improve and increase the definition of preventive monitoring activities, the improvement of the timing of the communication of sensitive data to final recipients and users.

RDP 2014-2020 Umbria Measure 16.1 Focus Area 2A; Lead partner: Trasformatori Tabacco Italia; Funding € 596,647.91; Duration: 1/10/2020 - 30/9/2022

The project deals with governance in the use of water in agriculture supported by the most modern technologies and with the aim of making agricultural production more efficient and guaranteeing environmental and social benefits to the reference territorial context. The main aim of the project is therefore to test on an irrigation district scale an innovative model for the use of water resources in agriculture that takes into account the principle of entrepreneurial competitiveness and the objectives of the quantitative state of the reference aquifer. All through the development of an organisational and technological model capable of governing demand, monitoring the efficiency of the distribution network, the volumes supplied to users and the relative pricing, while promoting a rational use of the resource itself for the irrigated crops of the served territory. The forecasting model makes it possible to prefigure different management scenarios in the crop scheduling phase, thus assessing any imbalances in the use of irrigation water that can be managed proactively in the agronomic planning of field activities. There is also the need to integrate this with a management system and monitoring network, guaranteeing that the forecast is updated in relation to present and future climatic trends.

The approach used is a bottom-up one, i.e. governing and making efficient the irrigation demands of the farms, and then managing the distribution network to respond to the relative needs. The methodology applied involves the use of new technologies at all levels, such as irrigation advice at farm level and real-time monitoring and management of the distribution network's fundamental hydraulic parameters. All this, if appropriately calibrated, will make it possible to carry out detailed monitoring of demand and therefore of water consumption for irrigation use and the consequent pricing criteria, in accordance with the requirements of European regulations.

The project 'Water4Agrifood. Improving Mediterranean agrifood production under conditions of water scarcity' seeks to find a solution to the problem of the lack of water available to farms and, more generally, to highlight its value for production purposes. The Water4Agrifood project brings together industry expertise and academic knowledge to build the right tools to make the best use of the water resources available to farms.

Project Code ARS01_00825 - Specialisation Area "Agrifood", PON R&I 2014-2020 and FSC

Sito di progetto >

Zootecnia di precisione per le filiere bovine della Sardegna: from capital to knowledge intensive

Capofila: Società per la Bonifica dei Terreni Ferraresi e per Imprese Agricole S.p.A. Società Agricola sede operativa di Marrubiu (OR) – Domanda n. 14250005635, Misura 16.1 PSR Sardegna, Focus Area 3A, Durata 05/12/2023 – 04/12/2025, Contributo concesso 497.396,00 € Responsabile tecnico scientifico: Prof. Pier Paolo Roggero – Università degli Studi di SASSARI

Il progetto affronta in modo completo ed integrato i seguenti obiettivi:

a) Implementazione della precision farming per migliorare la produzione e l’utilizzazione delle foraggere aziendali nelle fasi di riproduzione e ingrassamento mediante lo sviluppo di un DSS in grado di effettuare valutazioni sito-specifiche sul miscuglio di essenze da utilizzare e di massimizzare gli aspetti quali-quantitativi delle produzioni attraverso l’identificazione del momento migliore in cui effettuare lo sfalcio

b) Implementare la precision feeding per abbattere i costi di produzione del vitello in azienda di riproduzione e nella fase di ingrassamento

c) Implementazione della precision livestock per aumentare la produttività della filiera vacca-vitello e migliorare il benessere animale

d) Sviluppo di una piattaforma cloud-based di inserimento dati aziendali, analisi esperta mediante restituzione elaborata per indicatori semplici agli allevatori per il miglioramento delle performances produttive.

e) Implementazione della tracciabilità e rintracciabilità di filiera

f) Verifica del miglioramento dell’intera filiera sotto gli aspetti dell’impatto carbonico (obiettivo filiera carbon free) e azotato (obiettivo filiera circular nitrogen economy)