Real-time monitoring and analytics capabilities ensure efficient irrigation and fertigation, reduce nutrient runoff while enabling higher quality citrus nursery trees.
WD News: Hitachi Vantara, a subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd., and Golden Grove Nursery, a supplier of citrus nursery trees to the Queensland citrus industry in Australia, have applied Artificial Intelligence (AI), advanced analytics and sensor technology to inform data-driven irrigation water management practices for sustainable, environmentally friendly food production.
Golden Grove has installed a combination of weight scales, soil moisture sensors, and analytics developed for horticulture use by Hitachi Vantara, Greenlife Industry Australia, Applied Horticulture Research, and ICT International. This solution measures and assesses moisture content in growing media of pots, as well as crop water use, to provide insights that inform practices such as irrigation and fertilisation decisions. The implementation includes a free-standing weather station to monitor the microclimate and a range of pH, temperature, soil moisture, weight, and electrical conductivity sensors to monitor water quality and leachate.
“With this project we are using the power of data to improve our irrigation management processes which will, in turn, reduce the overheads of water usage, improve environmental outcomes, and ensure we maintain compliance with regulatory requirements,” said Wayne Parr, Director, Golden Grove Nursery.
With the new implementation, water is automatically sampled and tested every 15 minutes, as opposed to the manual process Golden Grove has been undertaking twice a week for more than 30 years. Within months of implementation, the nursery improved its irrigation practices by 30%.
“It is a privilege to support both sustainability and operational efficiency objectives in tandem, in an industry like agriculture and horticulture that has such a direct impact on society,” said Maggie Laird, Senior Vice President of Business Transformation and Sustainability, Hitachi Vantara.
Source: Hitachi Vantara
Image courtesy: Pixabay
