Here are the players who won this year's prestigious award
Interpoma Award 2022, the prize for innovative technologies applied to the apple economy, was awarded for both categories, 'Companies' and 'Start-ups'. Organised in collaboration with SOI Società italiana di ortofrutticoltura (Italian Society for Horticultural Science) and the Faculty of Science and Technology of UniBz, the award went to the most innovative companies that offer the entire apple-growing sector a head start for the future. The theme of the year was water management in apple orchards and the 'more crop per drop' approach.
The jury consisted of 6 academics and researchers, among the leading experts in apple growing - Massimo Tagliavini, Francesco Comiti, Brunella Morandi, Luca Testi, Martin Thalheimer and Robert Wiedmer. In the category reserved for companies, in addition to a winner there was also a special mention this year. Here are the names with the respective motivations of the jury.
This system integrates soil sensors and climatic parameters to allow for a user-friendly irrigation management in the orchard. Its main features include solar powered sensors, wireless transmission, an App that can be customized to suit the growers’ needs, the alarm notification for the need of irrigation, and the possibility to integrate a battery powered controller of valves to automatically manage the irrigation process. The system provides also tools for managing fertigation, frost control and modelling pathogens' development.
The Plantection system has been recognized as a valuable irrigation control technology for larger agricultural enterprises or cooperative irrigation schemes, where system complexity and safety of operations are decisive criteria. The modular architecture with the possibility of integration of sensors and meters and the user-friendly operation are among the features worth to be mentioned.
The ODIS smart irrigation system has been evaluated as highly promising for its capacity to integrate different sensors – for both environmental variables and plant conditions – into a versatile, cloud-based App which will enable farmers to monitor the water status of their orchards and will eventually allow for control of the irrigation system.
