Consumption of fresh berries in EU is outpacing total fruit consumption. Right up front are northern EU countries, where fresh berry consumption has increased up to 10% in the last 5 years.
The situation on the other side of the ocean is similar. The fresh berry market is on the rise. Big time.
All this means that berry growers will have to produce more and more, if they want to keep up with us - consumers. There are, however, serious risks they have to take into account.
They have to ensure the best possible quality of their produce; they have to minimize crop losses due to pest attacks and diseases and ensure sustainable use of resources.
Ensure the Best Quality
Many aspects of berry growing depend on the weather, especially the quality and the amount of produce. We cannot change the weather (yet), but you can monitor it as closely as possible to gain a head start.
To fully support plant protection management, Pessl Instruments offer high precision, localized weather forecast calibrated with on-site data. Measurements taken with iMETOS weather stations are combined with iMETEO Pro weather forecast to provide a detailed set of meteorological information, relevant for your field. It includes a forecast of all major meteorological variables and relevant agronomic information, including plant protection window (available on an hourly basis for 7 days) and real time data accessible on FieldClimate platform via smartphone or computer. This means that you can stay up to date with everything that is happening in your field and act on it before it’s too late.
Unwelcome tenants
Weather conditions are directly connected to who lives in your field. By monitoring weather conditions and using the measurements to predict the diseases that might occur, you can avoid having to evict them by force. Pessl's disease models have been developed over the last 30 years in cooperation with research institutes and universities.
Some of the disease models that they offer for berry growers:
Strawberry
Grey mould (Botrytis cinerea)
Powdery mildew (Podosphaera aphanis)
Blueberry
Ripe rot (Colletotrichum acutatum)
Powdery Mildew
Birds
Sustainable Use of Resources through Soil Moisture Monitoring and Irrigation Management
The dream of every farmer is to produce more with less - less water loss, less excessive spraying and no over fertilization.
iMETOS devices are the perfect solution for the continuous real-time monitoring of many variables that are highly important for sustainable use of resources. Devices monitor the soil (its moisture, temperature, salinity, the presence of nutrients and fertility), the plant (dendrometric variations etc.), the atmosphere (all meteorological variables, from which you can also estimate evapotranspiration), and also the irrigation system (flow, water level, pressure, pH and electrical conductivity of fertilizer etc.), which enables you to find the perfect solution for your specific needs.
Here is an example of how you could save 50 % of water, just by closely monitoring conditions in the soil.
Crop: Blueberry
Irrigation system: drip
Soil moisture measurement: VWC
Period of time: 9 days
The crop is initially subject to two irrigation interventions on a daily basis. Thanks to the monitoring of the volumetric water content, it was observed that the same comfortable moisture level for the plant could be maintained, even with just one analogue irrigation per day.
Other Advantages:
• Water saving (reduction and better modulation of irrigation interventions)
• Higher yield (safeguarding the quantity of production and ensuring quality)
• Fertilizer saving (reduced nutrients leaching, optimized use of fertilizer)
• Plant health (reduced impact of phytopathological adversities and ability to stimulate root development and frost protection)
• Security (real-time alerting when critical events, such as stress because of water deficit or excess, warning of irrigation system failures and automated troubleshooting, full traceability of operations)
• Energy saving (consumption of electricity to activate pumps, valves, etc.)
• Time saving (automation and rationalization of farming operations)
• Lower environment impact
For more information:
Pessl Instruments GmbH
Tel: +43 (0) 3172 5521