The nutrients contained in the soil are one of the characteristics that have the greatest impact on the sustainable production of fruit trees such as cherries.
Unfortunately, at this stage of Chile's development, most of the optimal soils are already occupied, or are too expensive to make their agricultural exploitation profitable, and even today it can be recognized that projects are being developed on "marginal" soils, which were unthinkable in fruit growing in the past.
Thus, new projects must choose soils that are sub-optimal in their structure and quality, modifying or adapting them as best as possible to the requirements of the variety they have chosen to produce.
The use of drones in a wide variety of agricultural tasks has been rapidly gaining followers in Chile due to their flexibility and the high quality of information they can provide in the hands of experienced operators.
Perspective
One of the great advantages of images obtained by drones is that we can show a different and complete perspective of the terrain.
This allows us to clearly observe situations that cannot be perceived from the ground. The lack of uniformity of the ground is one of them.
Location and Sizing
Images obtained through a professional drone service will have the necessary quality to carry out photogrammetry processes, through which all the information will be measurable and quantifiable. This will allow us to obtain the exact geographic coordinates where it would be worth taking soil samples to obtain its real composition, but it also allows us to measure which area of the property is affected by a particular composition.
With this information, we can make better decisions about subsoiling, ridges, nutrition, irrigation and much more.
Humidity
Another critical factor in soil production is its moisture content. Water retention will have direct effects ranging from reticular asphyxiation to water stress. Since soil composition is rarely homogeneous, this aspect must also be assessed before deciding how and where to plant, feed and irrigate.
Using high-resolution thermal imaging cameras, drones are able to generate temperature maps, which give us a clear indication of the correlation between the soil and its humidity levels. This makes it easy to determine where to drill holes to measure soil humidity.
Elevations
All terrain has some level of irregularity in its shape and height. These can be very relevant when planning irrigation. By combining aerial photogrammetry and traditional topography techniques, an exact digital recreation of the terrain (DTM/DTM) can be obtained, including its slopes and unevenness. This not only has an impact on irrigation/ponding, but also on the planning of its planting and on the natural flow of air currents (and their temperatures).
In short, the correct choice and treatment of soil are key to the sustainable development of the crop.
Today, a professional drone service will help you quickly and efficiently obtain and process the different layers of information necessary to make sound decisions that allow for profitable and sustainable crop development from the start.
