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The most widespread method for weed control and suckering in vineyards is under-row band herbicide application. It could be performed for weed control only (WC) or weed control and suckering (WSC) simultaneously. During herbicide application, spray drift is one of the most important environmental issues. The objective of this experimental work was to evaluate the performance of specific Spray Drift Reducing Techniques (SDRTs) used either for WC or WSC spray applications. Furthermore, spray drift reduction achieved by buffer zone adoption was investigated. All spray drift measurements were conducted according to ISO22866:2005 protocol. Sixteen configurations deriving from four nozzle types (two conventional and two air-induction—AI) combined with or without a semi-shielded boom at two different heights (0.25 m for WC and 0.50 m for WSC) were tested. A fully-shielded boom was also tested in combination with conventional nozzles at 0.25 m height for WC. Ground spray drift profiles were obtained, from which corresponding Drift Values (DVs) were calculated. Then, the related drift reduction was calculated based on ISO22369-1:2006. It was revealed that WC spray applications generate lower spray drift than WSC applications. In all cases, using AI nozzles and semi-shielded boom significantly reduced DVs; the optimum combination of SDRTs decreased spray drift by up to 78% and 95% for WC and WSC spray application, respectively. The fully-shielded boom allowed reducing nearly 100% of spray drift generation. Finally, the adoption of a cropped buffer zone that includes the two outermost vineyard rows lowered the total spray drift up to 97%. The first 90th percentile model for the spray drift generated during herbicide application in vineyards was also obtained.
Marco Grella; Paolo Marucco; Athanasios T. Balafoutis; Paolo Balsari. Spray Drift Generated in Vineyard during Under-Row Weed Control and Suckering: Evaluation of Direct and Indirect Drift-Reducing Techniques. Sustainability 2020, 12, 5068 .
AMA StyleMarco Grella, Paolo Marucco, Athanasios T. Balafoutis, Paolo Balsari. Spray Drift Generated in Vineyard during Under-Row Weed Control and Suckering: Evaluation of Direct and Indirect Drift-Reducing Techniques. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (12):5068.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMarco Grella; Paolo Marucco; Athanasios T. Balafoutis; Paolo Balsari. 2020. "Spray Drift Generated in Vineyard during Under-Row Weed Control and Suckering: Evaluation of Direct and Indirect Drift-Reducing Techniques." Sustainability 12, no. 12: 5068.
Farming faces challenges that increase the adverse effects on farms’ economics, labor, and the environment. Smart farming technologies (SFTs) are expected to assist in reverting this situation. In this work, 1064 SFTs were derived from scientific papers, research projects, and industrial products. They were classified by technology readiness level (TRL), typology, and field operation, and they were assessed for their economic, environmental, and labor impact, as well as their adoption readiness from end-users. It was shown that scientific articles dealt with SFTs of lower TRL than research projects. In scientific articles, researchers investigated mostly recording technologies, while, in research projects, they focused primarily on farm management information systems and robotic/automation systems. Scouting technologies were the main SFT type in scientific papers and research projects, but variable rate application technologies were mostly located in commercial products. In scientific papers, there was limited analysis of economic, environmental, and labor impact of the SFTs under investigation, while, in research projects, these impacts were studied thoroughly. Further, in commercial SFTs, the focus was on economic impact and less on labor and environmental issues. With respect to adoption readiness, it was found that all of the factors to facilitate SFT adoption became more positive moving from SFTs in scientific papers to fully functional commercial SFTs, indicating that SFTs reach the market when most of these factors are addressed for the benefit of the farmers. This SFT analysis is expected to inform researchers on adapting their research, as well as help policy-makers adjust their strategy toward digitized agriculture adoption and farmers with the current situation and future trends of SFTs.
Athanasios T. Balafoutis; Frits K. Van Evert; Spyros Fountas. Smart Farming Technology Trends: Economic and Environmental Effects, Labor Impact, and Adoption Readiness. Agronomy 2020, 10, 743 .
AMA StyleAthanasios T. Balafoutis, Frits K. Van Evert, Spyros Fountas. Smart Farming Technology Trends: Economic and Environmental Effects, Labor Impact, and Adoption Readiness. Agronomy. 2020; 10 (5):743.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAthanasios T. Balafoutis; Frits K. Van Evert; Spyros Fountas. 2020. "Smart Farming Technology Trends: Economic and Environmental Effects, Labor Impact, and Adoption Readiness." Agronomy 10, no. 5: 743.
Almost one billion people in the world still do not have access to electricity. Most of them live in rural areas of the developing world. Access to electricity in the rural areas of Sub-Saharan Africa is only 28%, roughly 600 million people. The financing of rural electrification is challenging and, in order to accomplish higher private sector investments, new innovative business models have to be developed. In this paper, a new approach in the financing of microgrid electrification activities is proposed and investigated. In this approach, agriculture related businesses take the lead in the electrification activities of the surrounding communities. It is shown that the high cost of rural electrification can be met through the increased value of locally produced products, and cross-subsidization can take place in order to decrease the cost of household electrification. The approach is implemented in a case study in Rwanda, through which the possibility of local agricultural cooperatives leading electrification activities is demonstrated.
George Kyriakarakos; Athanasios T. Balafoutis; Dionysis Bochtis. Proposing a Paradigm Shift in Rural Electrification Investments in Sub-Saharan Africa through Agriculture. Sustainability 2020, 12, 3096 .
AMA StyleGeorge Kyriakarakos, Athanasios T. Balafoutis, Dionysis Bochtis. Proposing a Paradigm Shift in Rural Electrification Investments in Sub-Saharan Africa through Agriculture. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (8):3096.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGeorge Kyriakarakos; Athanasios T. Balafoutis; Dionysis Bochtis. 2020. "Proposing a Paradigm Shift in Rural Electrification Investments in Sub-Saharan Africa through Agriculture." Sustainability 12, no. 8: 3096.
Rapid and cost-effective soil properties estimations are considered imperative for the monitoring and recording of agricultural soil condition for the implementation of site-specific management practices. Conventional laboratory measurements are costly and time-consuming, and, therefore, cannot be considered appropriate for large datasets. This article reviews laboratory and proximal sensing spectroscopy in the visible and near infrared (VNIR)–short wave infrared (SWIR) wavelength region for soil organic carbon and soil organic matter estimation as an alternative to analytical chemistry measurements. The aim of this work is to report the progress made in the last decade on data preprocessing, calibration approaches, and system configurations used for VNIR-SWIR spectroscopy of soil organic carbon and soil organic matter estimation. We present and compare the results of over fifty selective studies and discuss the factors that affect the accuracy of spectroscopic measurements for both laboratory and in situ applications.
Theodora Angelopoulou; Athanasios Balafoutis; George Zalidis; Dionysis Bochtis. From Laboratory to Proximal Sensing Spectroscopy for Soil Organic Carbon Estimation—A Review. Sustainability 2020, 12, 443 .
AMA StyleTheodora Angelopoulou, Athanasios Balafoutis, George Zalidis, Dionysis Bochtis. From Laboratory to Proximal Sensing Spectroscopy for Soil Organic Carbon Estimation—A Review. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (2):443.
Chicago/Turabian StyleTheodora Angelopoulou; Athanasios Balafoutis; George Zalidis; Dionysis Bochtis. 2020. "From Laboratory to Proximal Sensing Spectroscopy for Soil Organic Carbon Estimation—A Review." Sustainability 12, no. 2: 443.
Spray drift is one of the most important causes of pollution from plant protection products and it puts the health of the environment, animals, and humans at risk. There is; thus, an urgent need to develop measures for its reduction. Among the factors that affect spray drift are the weather conditions during application of spraying. The objective of this study was to develop and evaluate a spray drift evaluation tool based on an existing model by TOPPS-Prowadis to improve the process of plant protection products’ application and to mitigate spray drift for specific meteorological conditions in Greece that are determined, based on weather forecast, by reassessing the limits for wind speed and direction, temperature, and air relative humidity set in the tool. The new limits were tested by conducting experimental work in the vineyard of the Agricultural University of Athens with a trailed air-assisted sprayer for bush and tree crops, using the ISO 22866:2005 methodology. The results showed that the limits set are consistent with the values of the spray drift measured and follows the tool’s estimates of low, medium, and high risk of spray drift.
Georgios Bourodimos; Michael Koutsiaras; Vasilios Psiroukis; Athanasios Balafoutis; Spyros Fountas. Development and Field Evaluation of a Spray Drift Risk Assessment Tool for Vineyard Spraying Application. Agriculture 2019, 9, 181 .
AMA StyleGeorgios Bourodimos, Michael Koutsiaras, Vasilios Psiroukis, Athanasios Balafoutis, Spyros Fountas. Development and Field Evaluation of a Spray Drift Risk Assessment Tool for Vineyard Spraying Application. Agriculture. 2019; 9 (8):181.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGeorgios Bourodimos; Michael Koutsiaras; Vasilios Psiroukis; Athanasios Balafoutis; Spyros Fountas. 2019. "Development and Field Evaluation of a Spray Drift Risk Assessment Tool for Vineyard Spraying Application." Agriculture 9, no. 8: 181.
The need to intensify agriculture to meet increasing nutritional needs, in combination with the evolution of unmanned autonomous systems has led to the development of a series of “smart” farming technologies that are expected to replace or complement conventional machinery and human labor. This paper proposes a preliminary methodology for the economic analysis of the employment of robotic systems in arable farming. This methodology is based on the basic processes for estimating the use cost for agricultural machinery. However, for the case of robotic systems, no average norms for the majority of the operational parameters are available. Here, we propose a novel estimation process for these parameters in the case of robotic systems. As a case study, the operation of light cultivation has been selected due the technological readiness for this type of operation.
Maria G. Lampridi; Dimitrios Kateris; Giorgos Vasileiadis; Vasso Marinoudi; Simon Pearson; Claus G. Sørensen; Athanasios Balafoutis; Dionysis Bochtis. A Case-Based Economic Assessment of Robotics Employment in Precision Arable Farming. Agronomy 2019, 9, 175 .
AMA StyleMaria G. Lampridi, Dimitrios Kateris, Giorgos Vasileiadis, Vasso Marinoudi, Simon Pearson, Claus G. Sørensen, Athanasios Balafoutis, Dionysis Bochtis. A Case-Based Economic Assessment of Robotics Employment in Precision Arable Farming. Agronomy. 2019; 9 (4):175.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMaria G. Lampridi; Dimitrios Kateris; Giorgos Vasileiadis; Vasso Marinoudi; Simon Pearson; Claus G. Sørensen; Athanasios Balafoutis; Dionysis Bochtis. 2019. "A Case-Based Economic Assessment of Robotics Employment in Precision Arable Farming." Agronomy 9, no. 4: 175.
Towards the need for sustainable development, remote sensing (RS) techniques in the Visible-Near Infrared–Shortwave Infrared (VNIR–SWIR, 400–2500 nm) region could assist in a more direct, cost-effective and rapid manner to estimate important indicators for soil monitoring purposes. Soil reflectance spectroscopy has been applied in various domains apart from laboratory conditions, e.g., sensors mounted on satellites, aircrafts and Unmanned Aerial Systems. The aim of this review is to illustrate the research made for soil organic carbon estimation, with the use of RS techniques, reporting the methodology and results of each study. It also aims to provide a comprehensive introduction in soil spectroscopy for those who are less conversant with the subject. In total, 28 journal articles were selected and further analysed. It was observed that prediction accuracy reduces from Unmanned Aerial Systems (UASs) to satellite platforms, though advances in machine learning techniques could further assist in the generation of better calibration models. There are some challenges concerning atmospheric, radiometric and geometric corrections, vegetation cover, soil moisture and roughness that still need to be addressed. The advantages and disadvantages of each approach are highlighted and future considerations are also discussed at the end.
Theodora Angelopoulou; Nikolaos Tziolas; Athanasios Balafoutis; George Zalidis; Dionysis Bochtis. Remote Sensing Techniques for Soil Organic Carbon Estimation: A Review. Remote Sensing 2019, 11, 676 .
AMA StyleTheodora Angelopoulou, Nikolaos Tziolas, Athanasios Balafoutis, George Zalidis, Dionysis Bochtis. Remote Sensing Techniques for Soil Organic Carbon Estimation: A Review. Remote Sensing. 2019; 11 (6):676.
Chicago/Turabian StyleTheodora Angelopoulou; Nikolaos Tziolas; Athanasios Balafoutis; George Zalidis; Dionysis Bochtis. 2019. "Remote Sensing Techniques for Soil Organic Carbon Estimation: A Review." Remote Sensing 11, no. 6: 676.
Table grapes are a crop with high nutritional value that need to be monitored often to achieve high yield and quality. Non-destructive methods, such as satellite and proximal sensing, are widely used to estimate crop yield and quality characteristics, and spectral vegetation indices (SVIs) are commonly used to present site specific information. The aim of this study was the assessment of SVIs derived from satellite and proximal sensing at different growth stages of table grapes from veraison to harvest. The study took place in a commercial table grape vineyard (Vitis vinifera cv. Thompson Seedless) during three successive cultivation years (2015–2017). The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Green Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (GNDVI) were calculated by employing satellite imagery (Landsat 8) and proximal sensing (Crop Circle ACS 470) to assess the yield and quality characteristics of table grapes. The SVIs exhibited different degrees of correlations with different measurement dates and sensing methods. Satellite-based GNDVI at harvest presented higher correlations with crop quality characteristics (r = 0.522 for berry diameter, r = 0.537 for pH, r = 0.629 for berry deformation) compared with NDVI. Proximal-based GNDVI at the middle of veraison presented higher correlations compared with NDVI (r = −0.682 for berry diameter, r = −0.565 for berry deformation). Proximal sensing proved to be more accurate in terms of table grape yield and quality characteristics compared to satellite sensing.
Evangelos Anastasiou; Athanasios Balafoutis; Nikoleta Darra; Vasileios Psiroukis; Aikaterini Biniari; George Xanthopoulos; Spyros Fountas. Satellite and Proximal Sensing to Estimate the Yield and Quality of Table Grapes. Agriculture 2018, 8, 94 .
AMA StyleEvangelos Anastasiou, Athanasios Balafoutis, Nikoleta Darra, Vasileios Psiroukis, Aikaterini Biniari, George Xanthopoulos, Spyros Fountas. Satellite and Proximal Sensing to Estimate the Yield and Quality of Table Grapes. Agriculture. 2018; 8 (7):94.
Chicago/Turabian StyleEvangelos Anastasiou; Athanasios Balafoutis; Nikoleta Darra; Vasileios Psiroukis; Aikaterini Biniari; George Xanthopoulos; Spyros Fountas. 2018. "Satellite and Proximal Sensing to Estimate the Yield and Quality of Table Grapes." Agriculture 8, no. 7: 94.