The traffic of agricultural machines can cause soil compaction and high variability of soil structure, both along normal lines and along those parallel to the field plane. The aim of this work was to investigate the potential of an electronic penetrometer, a GPS, a GIS and geostatistical techniques for mapping soil compaction.In July 2003 soil cone penetrometer resistance was measured using a semi-automatic electronic penetrometer in a sandy-silt soil (Vertic Xerochrept) of inland Sicily where a three-year rotation wheat (Triticum durum Desf.)-wheat-tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) was practiced. The measurements were carried out along three parallel 3-m long transects, from the soil surface to a depth of 0.70 m.A multivariate geostatistical approach, including exploratory analysis, variography, stochastic simulation and post-processing of simulations, was applied to produce thematic maps of penetrometer resistance and probability exceeding a critical value, in correspondence of a different number of tractor passes. Penetrometer resistance variation resulted erratic at the surface but showed high spatial correlation between data measured at different depths. The probabilistic maps of compaction risk showed that the soil volume, exceeding the penetrometer resistance of 2.5 MPa, critical for root growth, at the probability level of p N 0.40 increased from 20% to 40% after five tractor passes.

Using the conventional farming system, durum wheat requires high rates of herbicide spraying. Herbicide residues can cause pollution of soil and ground water and, therefore, of the entire environment.In order to minimise the environmental impact of herbicides, a home-made system for spatially variable rate crop input application was designed and developed. This system consists of a differential global positioning system (DGPS), a portable computer, specifically developed software and a device for applying rates proportionally related to the machine forward speed.Tests of spatially variable rate herbicide application were carried out in inland Sicily, on a field of 8.4 ha (where a 3-yr crop rotation of broad bean/vetch, durum wheat and durum wheat was practised), using a sprayer modified for applying variable rates and equipped with the above-mentioned system.The results are promising. The spatially variable rate herbicide application allowed an almost even grain yield over the entire field and a saving of 29% of herbicides with respect to the amounts normally used with the conventional farming system.

The mechanical harvesting of grapes is an important operation in order to contain the operating costs of the viticultural farms. One of the limits of the mechanical harvesting of grapes is represented by the production of juice that is mostly due to the energetic action of the shakers that knocks against the grape clusters to allow the detachment of the berries. As a consequence, under the same structural conditions of the plants, the production of grape juice depends on the physical-mechanical characteristics of the berry and particularly on its breaking strength and on its detachment from the pedicel. In this paper the strength of the berry to the compression force is evaluated through the measurement of the crushing force and the strength of the berry linked to its pedicel measuring its detaching force. The study was performed on two variety of grapes very widespread in Sicily: Catarratto comune and Nero d’Avola. The research showed that the evaluation of the breaking strength of the berry and its pedicel detachment resistance, correlated with the sugar content, allows to find out the optimal mechanical harvesting time in order to obtain a low production of grape juice and, then, wines of quality from mechanically harvested grapes

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Crop production in greenhouses needs the use of chemicals and requires high levels of temperature and relative humidity to assure the increasing of crop production. This can cause risks for the health of the operators, especially if they are not equipped with protection devices. The risks may also vary with the type and/or size and/or shape of the protected structures.In order to determine the influence of different coverings on type and amount of risks, chemical and physical risk factors were measured inside greenhouses with different cladding materials (glass panels and plastic films) after crop management.In these two different greenhouses typologies, that were similar for location and crop, the same crop practices were performed.To measure ambient temperature, relative humidity, the levels of VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) and to process the measured data, were used two electronic systems equipped with a data logger and a photo ionisation sensor.The results of these measurements gave useful indications about the health of the operators working inside the greenhouses in order to control the risk factors.

The aim of this study was to monitor the micro-climate of the grapevine in order to detect the adversities of the spring period (especially April and May), while reducing the operating costs of the vineyard, and increasing the overall quality of grapes. For this purpose a Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) was used. Furthermore, a comparison was performed between data measured by the wireless sensors and data provided by the fixed meteorological station of the Regione Siciliana (SIAS)

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