Syngenta, a leading company in crop health and vegetable improvement, carried out field tests applying crop protection treatments with the Pulverizadores Fede AIs system in an olive grove located at the Finca Cortijo Guadiana. This plantation belongs to Grupo Castillo de Canena, a benchmark company in the production and commercialization of high-quality extra virgin olive oil. 
The AIs system, developed by Pulverizadores Fede, is an integrated agronomic solution for specialty crops based on image processing and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Installed on a tractor, AIs can “see” the state and vigor of crops by capturing high-detail, temporally precise images using 3D cameras. The processing of these images allows for real-time adaptation of spraying, enabling individualized nozzle opening and closing for each tree based on the canopy’s configuration.
Precision technology for improved foliar applications
The objective of the trials was to test this precision technology as a solution to improve the quality and efficiency of foliar applications of phytosanitary products in intensive and traditional olive groves. For this study, treatments were performed using a conventional sprayer, an ultrasonic sprayer, and a Fede sprayer equipped with H3O technology linked to the AIs system. Syngenta’s tracer was used to evaluate the percentage of coverage and deposition on the crop. This tracer allows quantification of spray deposits on different parts of the tree canopy and the ground.
Spraying volume and soil deposition reduction
The results confirm that performing phytosanitary treatments with the AIs system minimizes plant protection product loss and improves coverage and uniformity of deposition on the tree canopy. In addition to maintaining sufficient product levels for effective treatment, the AIs system achieved up to a 67% reduction in spray volume and up to a 66% decrease in soil deposition.
