Development of an algorithm for assessing canopy volumes with terrestrial LiDAR to implement precision spraying in vineyards

Received: February 13th, 2021 ; Accepted: November 28th, 2021 ; Published: December 3rd, 2021 ; Correspondence: [email protected] spraying is one of the techniques for the reduction of pesticides use and it can help achieve the new European Green Deal standards. The aim of such technique is to apply the right amount of pesticides according to the target characteristics. The precision spraying implementation requires target volume assessment, which can be carried out by LiDAR sensors. Such technique requires complex and time-consuming procedures of canopy characteristics computing through post-processing points cloud reconstruction. The present work aimed to develop and test an algorithm through the use of a tractor-coupled with terrestrial LiDAR and GNSS technology in order to simplify the process. With the aim to evaluate the algorithm the LiDAR-based volume was correlated with two manual measurements of canopy volume (Tree Row Volume and Point Net Cloud). The results showed good correlations between manual and LiDAR measures both for total canopy volumes (R 2 = 0.67 and 0.56) and for partial canopy volume (R 2 = 0.74). In conclusion, although the LiDAR-based algorithm works in automatic mode, the canopy volumes approximation seems acceptable to estimate the canopy volumes, with the advantages of a swifter procedure and less laborious post-processing computations

The evolving nature of work in the Agri-foodstuffs Sector. The impact of Precision Agriculture and the necessity of acquiring new skills through Lifelong Learning

Tο άρθρο επικεντρώνεται στην αναγκαιότητα απόκτησης συνδυασµού «κάθετων» και «οριζόντιων» δεξιοτήτων, απαραίτητων για τα θέµατα της νέας οργάνωσης παραγωγής και εργασίας στον αγροδιατροφικό κλάδο, ώστε να διασφαλίζεται η επιτυχηµένη σύµπραξη του ανθρώπινου δυναµικού µε τις εξελισσόµενες νέες τεχνολογικές εφαρµογές. Η εργασία στοχεύει, µέσω της διαδικασίας διεξαγωγής εµπειρικής έρευνας οµάδων εστίασης (focus groups), να εξετάσει και να εντοπίσει τα τις ευκαιρίες και τις αδυναµίες των νέων δεξιοτήτων σε σχέση µε τις νέες τεχνολογίες στο ευρύτερο πλαίσιο της αγοράς εργασίας του αγροδιατροφικού κλάδου και κατά πόσο αυτές οι δεξιότητες είναι εφικτό να αναπτυχθούν µέσω προγραµµάτων ∆ια Βίου Μάθησης.The article focuses on the necessity of acquiring a combination of “vertical” and “horizontal” skills, which are of vital importance in the new production management processes and work in the Agri-foodstuffs sector, so as to ensure an efficient relationship between the human resources and the current technological applications. The aim of this paper is to research and pinpoint the opportunities and weaknesses of the required new skills in relation to new technologies in the wider context of the agrifood labour market, and to which extent these skills can feasibly be developed through Lifelong Learning Educational Programmes. The research method of this paper is a qualitative “focus groups” interview method

Development of a Field Robot Platform for Mechanical Weed Control in Greenhouse Cultivation of Cucumber

A prototype robot that moves on a monorail along the greenhouse for weed elimination between cucumber plants was designed and developed. The robot benefits from three arrays of ultrasonic sensors for weed detection and a PIC18 F4550-E/P microcontroller board for processing. The feedback from the sensors activates a robotic arm, which moves inside the rows of the cucumber plants for cutting the weeds using rotating blades. Several experiments were carried out inside a greenhouse to find the best combination of arm motor (AM) speed, blade rotation (BR) speed, and blade design. We assigned three BR speeds of 3500, 2500, and 1500 rpm, and two AM speed of 10 and 30 rpm to three blade designs of S-shape, triangular shape, and circular shape. Results indicated that different types of blades, different BR speed, and different AM speed had significant effects (P < 0.05) on the percentage of weeds cut (PWC); however, no significant interaction effects were observed. The comparison between the interaction effect of the factors (three blade designs, three BR speeds, and two AM speeds) showed that maximum mean PWC was equal to 78.2% with standard deviation of 3.9% and was achieved with the S-shape blade when the BR speed was 3500 rpm, and the AM speed was 10 rpm. Using this setting, the maximum PWC that the robot achieved in a random experiment was 95%. The lowest mean PWC was observed with the triangular-shaped blade (mean of 50.39% and SD = 1.86), which resulted from BR speed of 1500 rpm and AM speed of 30 rpm. This study can contribute to the commercialization of a reliable and affordable robot for automated weed control in greenhouse cultivation of cucumber

The Use of Agricultural Robots in Orchard Management

Book chapter that summarizes recent research on agricultural robotics in orchard management, including Robotic pruning, Robotic thinning, Robotic spraying, Robotic harvesting, Robotic fruit transportation, and future trends.Comment: 22 page

Agriculture 4.0 in Hungary : the challenges of 4th industrial revolution in Hungarian agriculture within the frameworks of the common agricultural policy

The impacts of the 4th industrial revolution, which is considered a “general purpose technology”, do not appear only in the manufacturing sector or in the increasingly ICTintensive services sector. Agriculture, which is using manufactured inputs in more and more automatized factories, and which relies highly on technology in its basic activities, has also been going through remarkable changes recently. Precision farming (1), optimized usage of scarce inputs (2) and so attaining a more economy and ecology-friendly (sustainable) farming system (3) are all potential positive outcomes of the technological development of Industry 4.0 taking place in agriculture. In connection with this topic, our main aim is to determine the position of Hungary in this field, and whether there are any obstacles in this process. Both in the theoretical and empirical research conducted, we focus on the agricultural workforce, whether it is ready to keep pace with developments or if Hungarian farmers may be facing difficulties. Finally, as an outlook we examine the European Union's Common Agricultural Policy and its future changes, if it is currently or close to handling this challenge

Impact of Globalization on Sustainable Land Use and Farming System in the Rural Development

Globalization can accelerate development while, at the same time, negatively impacting nations that are not ready. Globalization benefits rural communities organizing the citizens’ life order systematically. Exploiting land use to fulfill human needs is a result of globalization’s effects on economic activity. Agricultural and industrial sectors must increase production reasonably and suitably. There is a gray area of needs due to the dependency on the land resources use, which causes rivalry in procuring production inputs for each sector and has a significant effect on the agricultural industry. Transformation of human, environmental, financial, and institutional resources for rural agriculture by implementing effective and efficient agricultural modernization will reduce globalization’s negative effects. Smart farming applies modern technology to agriculture in order to achieve more productive and sustainable agricultural production. Agricultural land intensifi¬cation initiatives must be improved through the best use of technological innovation and agricultural infrastructure. Competition for resource utilization causes changes or decreases in land resources quality, which can be anticipated by technological capacities and capabilities, and adaptive capacity to innovations. Unhealthy competition must be eliminated, even these sectors will help each other because of government policy instruments so that the goal of rural sustainable agricultural growth will be achieved

Examining the Adoption of Drones and Categorisation of Precision Elements Among Hungarian Precision Farmers Using a Trans-Theoretical Model

This article discusses the use of drones in Hungary and considers their future penetration, based on the responses to a nationally representative 2021 questionnaire among 200 large-scale farmers engaged in precision farming and in crop production. Both the applied trans-theoretical model (with ordinal logit regression model) and the questionnaire design are suitable for comparison with the results of a similar survey in Germany. In this study, similar results were found for farm size, age, main job and education, but the evidence that higher education in agriculture has the largest positive effect on the use of drones is a novelty. The frequency values obtained for adopting precision technology elements are not fully suitable for classification due to interpretational shortcomings. The use of drones within precision technologies is no longer negligible (17%), but is nevertheless expected to grow significantly due to continuous innovation and the selective application of inputs. The state could play a major role in future uptake, particularly in the areas of training and harmonisation of legislation

Using virtual scanning to find optimal configuration of a 3D scanner turntable for scanning of mechanical parts

The article describes a method of simulated 3D scanning of triangle meshes based on ray casting which is used to find the optimal configuration of a real 3D scanner turntable. The configuration include the number of scanners, their elevation above the rotary table and the number of required rotation steps. The evaluation is based on the percentage of the part surface covered by the resulting point cloud, which determines the ability to capture all details of the shape. Principal component analysis is used as a secondary criterion to also evaluate the ability to capture the overall general proportions of the model.Web of Science2116art. no. 534