Researchers in Victoria believe new technologies can reduce labour costs in Australian apple and pear industry
Researchers in the Australian state of Victoria are testing a number of advanced technologies as they look to trim costs and in particular reduce the need for manual labour, which has become a more expensive and more scarce resource.
According to national apple and pear industry association APAL, a number of different trials have been started at Tatura SmartFarm in northern Victoria’s Goulburn Valley, as part of a five-year production improvement programme called PIPS 4 Profit.
Many of the tools and instruments being tested will also be demonstrated at APAL’s upcoming Tech Symposium, which takes place in early August.
“As labour costs continue to rise, growers are seeking ways to reduce manual inputs while achieving profitable production and quality targets,” the association said in a press release.
Many of the technologies under consideration involve smart tools for precision agriculture that boost the accuracy of data collection and reduce the amount of time and effort needed, for example to count flowers or measure fruit size.
These include a sensor-based mapping platforms, NFC tags that streamline data recording processes, software to speed up and simplify orchard and packing operations, hand-held spectrometers to measure quality and ripeness, smart sprayers, harvesting automation tools, and other labour-saving devices.
