Rising temperatures and changing rainfall patterns, consequences of climate change, pose a significant threat to olive trees by fostering the proliferation of pests and diseases.

Having information on certain climatic data, such as relative humidity, air temperature, leaf wetness, soil moisture, and wind speed and direction, can be helpful to effectively combat the ring spot disease 'Spilocaea oleagina (Castagne) Hughes'.

Obtaining this data from meteorological stations is crucial for disease prevention.

Challenge:

Olive farmers face difficulties in effectively managing plant protection due to climate change and local extreme weather events, particularly with controlling olive ring spot disease which is influenced by humidity and microclimate variations.

Aim:

To provide olive farmers with early warning systems that work with accurate algorithms, using climate stations and related software, and to optimize treatment timing and dosage for olive ring spot disease control.

Solution:

The solution involves installing cost-effective climate stations in olive yards. These stations collect high-resolution data which is transmitted via cellular networks to a remote server. The data is then processed by Metos's decision support platform to provide actionable insights.

Benefit:

This approach helps olive growers apply plant protection treatments more accurately, reducing unnecessary spraying, saving costs, and minimizing environmental impact. It ensures the health and quality of the crops while optimizing resource use.

This project involves close collaboration with olive grovers, olive producer unions and agricultural insurers. Olive growers and producer unions benefit from tailored solutions and training, while agricultural insurance provides significant savings in financial resources.