Digital pest monitoring and precision agrochemical application platform for fruit and vine production

Overview

This solution addresses the need for efficient, data-driven management of agricultural production processes in fruit and vine operations. Through a case study with leading pear, apple, and vine producers in Río Negro and Mendoza, Argentina, the team identified a critical gap: the lack of digitized tools to support timely, evidence-based decisions in the field.

The core value proposition is enabling producers to make better operational decisions that improve profitability while reducing environmental impact. A validated field trial with INTA (National Institute of Agricultural Technology) on apple and pear crops demonstrated that enhanced monitoring combined with sectorized agrochemical application can reduce chemical use by 50% to 80% compared to conventional calendar-based spraying schedules.

Technical specifications

How it works:

• Traps are deployed across production fields to monitor key insect pests, including Cydia pomonella and Grapholita molesta (codling moth and oriental fruit moth)
• Monitoring frequency is increased from once per week (conventional) to every two days, enabling early detection of pest presence
• A mobile application digitizes the monitoring process, capturing field data in real time
• Insecticide is applied only in the hectares where pest presence is confirmed, replacing blanket calendar applications made every 15 days
• A detection algorithm and information model are being developed to predict insect behavior and generate early detection alerts
• The accumulated database supports determination of precise application zones, enabling sectorization and traceability of agrochemical use

Key features:

• Digital pest monitoring via mobile application
• Data science-driven detection algorithms and predictive modeling
• Sectorized agrochemical application guidance
• Product traceability from monitoring through application
• Cost reduction and environmental impact reduction as validated outcomes

Technology readiness level

The solution has completed initial validation through a controlled field trial conducted with INTA on apple and pear crops. Two fields of 8 hectares each were compared: one under conventional management (weekly monitoring with calendar-based spraying every 15 days) and one under the treatment protocol (monitoring every two days with insecticide applied only where pest presence was confirmed). The treatment field achieved agrochemical savings between 50% and 80%.

The next development phase involves building the mobile application to digitize insect pest monitoring at scale, which will require a team of programmers and a data science specialist to train the detection algorithm and develop the information model for predictive alerts and sectorized application guidance.