AgriSound’s cutting-edge technology will help growers better understand and optimise pollination activity
Westfalia Fruit has teamed up with UK-based agtech company AgriSound to enhance avocado breeding and commercial production through advanced pollinator monitoring.
AgriSound, a specialist in bioacoustic insect monitoring, will provide real-time bioacoustic data to help growers better understand and optimise pollination activity. It will also enable crop breeders to assess the pollinator attractiveness of different genotypes under development, supporting the development of varieties that deliver higher yields and are more appealing to pollinators.
Westfalia said the trial will run through to 2026. The results are expected to shape the company’s long-term pollinator management strategy in South Africa, with the potential for rollout across its global grower network.
Avocado production in South Africa was valued at nearly US$87mn annually pre-Covid and forecasts suggest the market could reach about US$483.8mn by 2030, yet fruit set (the transition between flower and young fruit) remains as low as 1 per cent due to the complexity of avocado flowers. Research shows that optimal pollination can increase fruit set significantly in low yielding orchards, highlighting the critical role played by pollinators in crop yield and quality.
Robin Wilson Robert, pollination specialist at AgriSound, said: “Pollination is one of the most powerful yet under-optimised methods for improving yield and sustainability in avocados.
“By combining Westfalia’s expertise in sustainable production with our real-time pollinator monitoring, we can deliver measurable improvements for both breeding activities and commercial production”.
The pilot project will begin with the deployment of AgriSound sensors at two of Westfalia’s sites in Tzaneen, South Africa, where real-time data on pollinator activity and microclimate conditions will be collected.
The information will support R&D efforts of Westfalia in breeding activities by providing genotype-specific pollinator data to inform breeding strategies. It will also help increase yield and fruit quality by improving the fruit set, size, and yield consistency, and drive sustainability by optimising bee colony management, reducing inputs, and lowering the carbon footprint of production.
Dr Zelda van Rooyen, research manager at Westfalia Fruit, said: “This collaboration marks an important step in our ongoing commitment to innovation and sustainable production. AgriSound’s technology gives us a new lens through which to understand and optimise pollination. It helps us to strengthen resilience in the face of environmental challenges, and plan long-term strategies for managing pollinators in our orchards and breeding sites.
“Our partnership will support us to future-proof our production methods to ensure we can maintain the world-class avocado standards that Westfalia is known for”.
