The Role of Remote Sensing in Olive Growing Farm Management: A Research Outlook from 2000 to the Present in the Framework of Precision Agriculture Applications

Abstract

Given the importance of olive growing, especially in Mediterranean countries, it is crucial that there is a constant process of modernization aimed at both environmental sustainability and the maintenance of high standards of production. The use of remote sensing (RS) allows intervention in a specific and differentiated way in olive groves, depending on their variability, in managing different agronomic aspects. The potentialities of the application of RS in olive growing are topics of great agronomic interest to olive growers. Using the tools provided by RS and the modernization of the olive sector can bring great future prospects by reducing costs, optimizing agronomic management, and improving production quantity and quality. This article is part of a review that aims to cover the past, from the 2000s onwards, and the most recent applications of aerial RS in olive growing in order to be able to include research and all topics related to the use of RS on olive trees. As far as the use of RS platforms such as satellites, aircraft, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) as olive growing is concerned, a literature review showed the presence of several works devoted to this topic. This article covers purely agronomic matters of interest to olive farms (and related research that includes the application of RS), such as yielding and managing diseases and pests, and detection and counting of olive trees. In addition to these topics, there are other relevant aspects concerning the characterization of the canopy structure of olive trees which is particularly interesting for mechanized pruning management and phenotyping.

Innovations towards sustainable olive crop management: a new dawn by precision agriculture including endo-therapy

“…Another highly promising technology supporting olive growers is remote sensing, that is the collection of agricultural information without direct interaction with the specific trees or locations. Remote sensing has a solid history within olive orchard management and is feeding since the early 2000´s into on-farm mapping of data used for pruning, fertilization, irrigation and harvesting to name a few ( Messina and Modica, 2022 ). A variety of studies on remote sensing performed by either satellites, aircrafts or UAVs are providing an excellent foundation to understand the potential and limitations of this technology in olive orchards.…”

“…A variety of studies on remote sensing performed by either satellites, aircrafts or UAVs are providing an excellent foundation to understand the potential and limitations of this technology in olive orchards. Detection and phenotyping of biophysical parameters is a well progressed area, and various algorithms to calculate different vegetation indexes in olives are established ( Messina and Modica, 2022 ). Recent technical advances in image accuracy (spatial, temporal, spectral) are certainly pushing this technology further for an efficient use in orchards of the future.…”

Advancements in Remote Sensing Imagery Applications for Precision Management in Olive Growing: A Systematic Review

“…In the context of technological progress, RS data emerge as an indispensable tool extensively used in PA for sustainable agriculture management and monitoring [8]. Providing non-destructive methodologies with high spatial, radiometric and temporal resolutions, RS allows the characterization and monitoring of spatiotemporal variability for multidimensional purposes [9][10][11][12][13]. Over the past few decades, RS technology has played a crucial role in the development of new agricultural applications, focusing primarily on monitoring vegetation cover [14][15][16], assessing crop vigor conditions [17][18][19], estimating nutrient and water status [20][21][22], determining crop evapotranspiration (ET c ) [23][24][25], identifying and managing invasive plants [26][27][28], detecting and monitoring pest/diseases [29][30][31] and forecasting crop yields [32][33][34].…”

“…Consequently, this review article aims to explore the applications of RS in olive cultivation, providing a comprehensive analysis that extends beyond the surface and emphasizing the transformative role that RS technology can play in developing sustainable and resilient agricultural practices for the future. This review allowed for the identification of three publications with similar topics [10][11][12]. However, the temporal scope covered ends in 2021 [10] and March 2022 [11,12].…”

Twenty Years of Remote Sensing Applications Targeting Landscape Analysis and Environmental Issues in Olive Growing: A Review

“…This review aims to cover the past, from the 2000s onwards, and the most recent applications of RS in olive growing, focusing on preserving the olive landscape and addressing environmental issues. A review of RS applications focusing on detecting and counting trees, phenotyping, yielding, detecting olive diseases, and managing pests in the framework of PA is reported in Messina and Modica [36]. The structure of the first part of this review is the following: Section 2 contains brief mentions of RS platforms and sensors, mainly satellites and UAVs, used in research focused on olive growing from the early 2000s until now; Section 3 deals with the preservation of olive landscape and soil erosion; Section 4 regards RS applications aiming to identify and mapping olive groves; Section 5 is focused on monitoring and management of olive oil mill wastewater (OOMW) and relative environmental risks; Section 6 concerns irrigation water management and the use of RS platforms for water stress monitoring; finally, Section 7 contains discussions and conclusions about the present-as well as future-challenges in the presented framework.…”