Precision Agriculture Applications in a High Density Olive Grove Adapted for Mechanical Harvesting in Greece

Worldwide olive production recently has undergone major changes in terms of harvesting technologies and planting densities. A new educational, research and exhibition olive grove was established at Perrotis College, Greece in 2010 to evaluate new production systems under a variety of planting densities and major input treatments for two of the most commonly used olive varieties globally, under high density palnting systems adapted for mechanical harvesting. Precision agriculture practices were used in this olive grove, to identify possible “zones of variation” for yield, crop reflectance using the handheld GreenSeeker® NDVI sensor and for soil moisture and electrical conductivity. The results are presented herein for the second year after planting and they indicated distinctive zones of variability for the measured characteristics. These zones will be considered and further validated in the current season, to provide alternative management practices for optimization of olive production and combined with additional soil and agronomic parameters.