Thanks to the monitoring of soil moisture and temperature, as well as precipitation totals, irrigation optimizes drip irrigation so that they use water and energy as efficiently as possible.
„Any time that we had a problem, all we had to do was give them a call and they solved it right away.”
“We try to do our work in the most precise and effective way possible, which required us to know the exact condition of the vineyards at all times. This naturally led us to start working with CleverFarm in the spring of 2019. Specifically, we were interesting in knowing the exact precipitation levels, temperature, and the moisture levels in both the air and the soil. We also wanted something that could measure the leaf-moisture index,” says Mr. Sevcik.
Before CleverFarm, Vinofrukt relied on two rain gauges located in the center of the vineyards. The problem was that for plants over 1km away, their readings were completely irrelevant. With meteorological stations from CleverFarm, they now have an accurate and verifiable overview of exactly how their vineyards are doing. This allows them to know exactly when they need to somehow intervene.
140 ha of Vinofrukt’s operation is watered via drip irrigation, so it is very important for them to know the exact water saturation levels in the soil. For this, we installed 6 soil sensors. Inside the CleverFarm app, the farmers were able to track the current temperature and the saturation levels of the soil.
For more accurate results, each location had a pair of sensors directly above and below each other, one at 30cm deep and the other at 60cm. This provides a more complete picture of the water content of the soil, taking into account both rainfall and irrigation efforts. This ultimately allows them to give the soil the exact levels of water that it needs.
“When I go to work each morning, I am able to see the exact conditions of my vineyards. The biggest advantage to this approach is that I get to see how each individual vineyard is doing so that I can dispatch the right number of people to each place. This saves us a lot of time and energy. Smart Agriculture is very trendy right now, and I have no doubt that it is the future of this industry. I think that after a few years, it will be inconceivable to run an agricultural business without smart sensors and mobile apps. That’s why we’re committed to continue our business relationship with CleverFarm.”
