Smartphone DSS for cherry tree management

Introduction

SmartCherry is a sub-project developed within OpenAgri, funded by the Horizon Europe programme. The goal of SmartCherry is to provide a digital solution for small cherry-growing businesses capable of supporting crop protection and agronomic management of cherry trees, reducing environmental impact and improving profit margins.

The innovative idea came from a simple question: what if a smartphone could become an agronomic tool to help farmers and technicians grow better, with objective information, more sustainably and at lower cost?

Agrobit is the lead partner and technology provider for the project. Also involved are CIA Toscana as end user and three pilot farms in the PGI area for Ciliegia di Lari (PI), namely Az. Agr. Impronta, Az. Agricola Luca Zaupa and Az. Agricola Mastrociliegia.

Project objectives

The project’s main focus is to make precision agriculture accessible to small and medium-sized farms, overcoming the economic and technological barriers that have so far limited its spread. The goal is to validate a smartphone-based decision support system that allows cherry growers, particularly those in rural and PGI areas, to improve agronomic management through tools that are smart but simple to use.

Specifically, the project identifies the following key objectives:

• Reduce input distribution, particularly water and pesticides, thanks to targeted recommendations based on data collected via the iAgro app. Specifically, by using the camera, it will be possible to collect biometric canopy data (e.g. vigour indices, volume and 3D model) and integrate it with weather data (e.g. daily temperature, rainfall and humidity). Combining this information will produce alert messages for the farmer or agronomist, for example to warn of pathogen or insect pressure, or an adverse weather condition (frost).
• Support traceability and compliance with PGI specifications through reports generated within the app. Today, accurate, transparent documentation of agronomic practices is an essential requirement. These reports will be structured according to standard formats, making it easier to comply with certification requirements and communicate with control bodies. In this way, automated reporting simplifies red tape and strengthens product reliability throughout the supply chain.
• Ensure offline operation, necessary and useful in rural areas with poor connectivity. In most cases, this is a factor that limits the adoption of digital tools. To address this issue, the app was designed with a dual architecture: a cloud-based version and a mixed edge/cloud version capable of working offline. Data collected by the iAgro app is processed directly on the device, allowing farmers to access information and recommendations in real time, even without a network connection. Synchronisation with cloud services happens automatically once the connection is restored, ensuring operational continuity and system reliability in any environmental condition.

Fig.1: Cloud/edge architecture of the iAgro app enhanced with OpenAgri services.

Ciliegia di Lari PGI

The Ciliegia di Lari PGI identifies a well-defined production area covering the municipalities of Casciana Terme-Lari, Terricciola and Crespina-Lorenzana. Around 50% of Tuscany’s cherry production comes from this area, with a total of 40 producers across 70 hectares. These are mainly small farms, often under 10 hectares, facing growing challenges.

Farmers must meet increasingly high standards of quality, traceability and sustainability. Furthermore, cherry growers are often excluded from technological innovation due to the lack of dedicated tools and software. Most digital solutions and precision agriculture tools are developed for crops that dominate the Italian landscape in terms of scale and profit, such as cereals and vineyards. It is also essential to bear in mind that Italian farms have an average area of 10 hectares, which translates into a limited capacity for the economic investment currently required for digital transition.

Fig.2: Cherry orchards in the Lari PGI area (Pisa, Italy).

Why choose iAgro

iAgro is a simple, accessible and effective digital solution. Already tested on other tree crops, including grapevines and olive trees, the app can turn a smartphone into a valuable precision agriculture tool.

The app uses the smartphone’s camera to scan trees in 3D and generate what are known as digital twins. The plant’s three-dimensional model is essential for automatically deriving biometric data, vigour indices and canopy volume.

The key to the project is integrating the existing app with services to improve the use of weather data (both forecast and historical), predictive models for diseases and resource management, as well as a function for generating automatic reports.

The predictive models for cherry trees mainly focus on three problems identified from farmers’ experience (Figure 2): brown rot (caused by Monilia spp. fungi), cherry fruit fly (Drosophila suzukii) and frost damage. In general, the predictive models are based on observing aggregated weather data, especially humidity and temperature parameters, which are constantly monitored. The predictive model will send alert messages to the smartphone to allow the farmer to intervene promptly and make informed decisions.

Fig.2: Predictive models integrated into the iAgro app for cherry tree protection.

Conclusions

SmartCherry represents a concrete vision for the future of small-scale agriculture. An approach that puts the real needs of cherry growers at its centre, combining ease of use, sustainability and innovation. Thanks to the modularity of the iAgro app and its integration with OpenAgri services, the system can reduce environmental impact, improve farm profitability and facilitate access to quality certifications.

Its scalable, open-source nature makes it replicable for other tree crops and adaptable to different geographical contexts, representing a virtuous model for tackling the digital transition of European agriculture.

Find out more about the iAgro app, download it and try it for free!