Lidar based, tree row volume estimation for phytosanitary products reduction in fruit trees orchards

Many fruit orchards in Uruguay are small-scale producers, where a single sprayer is configured once a year and used for all the applications of the phytosanitary products. To conduct a successful application for ideal results, the broth concentration (the phytosanitary product is diluted in water) should be determined depending on the volume of vegetation of the fruit trees. In small orchards, this calibration is only done once per year, and is determined for the most voluminous trees in the orchard. This results in excessive doses of pesticides sprayed to all the other trees, that have lower vegetative volume. This excessive application not only has an increase in the cost of the fruits, but and can also pose potential risks for the environment and/or consumers. An adaptable system which can be used with common sprayer already employed in the orchards, capable of determining the Tree Row Volume (TRV) in real time and reducing the amount of product would be a solution to reduce phytosanitary application at a reduced cost. LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) technology can be used to measure length in the farm environment and has had a huge reduction in cost in the last few years, mainly for its use in autonomous cars. A prototype system was designed and its currently being tested in the field.