Citrus
Drones to monitor
Sicilian citrus groves’ water stress
T
he first drones have been used in the Catania plain to monitor water stress in citrus
groves as part of the “A.C.Q.U.A. – Agrumicoltura Consapevole della Qualità e Uso
dell’Acqua” project promoted by Distretto Agrumi di Sicilia and the Department of Civil
Engineering and Architecture (Dicar) of the University of Catania with the unconditional
contribution of The Coca-Cola Foundation.
After mapping the needs and
irrigation conditions of a hundred
“sample” citrus fruit companies
all over the Sicilian territory, the
second phase of the project will
provide an overview of the entire
island territory and the use of the
water resources.”
Optimising use of water
“We started the high-resolution
monitoring
of
water
stress
indicators in citrus groves using
innovative techniques and drones
equipped with special sensors
(multi-spectrum cameras).
Identifying water stress situations
in plants enables the improvement
of watering practices optimizing
the use of water,” explains Antonio
Cancelliere, Professor of Hydraulic
and Maritime Engineering and
Hydrology at Dicar and scien-
tific project head.
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“From a technical and scientific
point of view, the project has a dual
objective: contribute to defining
an overall picture of the use of
water within the Sicilian citrus fruit
production chain from both a
quantitative and qualitative point
of view, and data processing via
WebGIS techniques. At the same
time, actions to promote innova-
tive methods for a sustainable use
of water resources thanks to drone
and a pilot irrigation system will
also be developed.”