ISHS Acta Horticulturae 596: VIII International Symposium on Pear
AN EVALUATION OF THE ECONOMIC BENEFITS OF ADOPTING SITE-SPECIFIC MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGIES IN THE TREE FRUIT INDUSTRY |
| Authors: | C.F. Seavert, F. Niederholzer |
| Keywords: | precision agriculture, GPS, economic analysis, pear |
| Abstract:
This paper reports on the first two years of an economic case study involving a commercial orchard where site-specific management (SSM) was applied. This approach allows to monitor and compare the yield and economic performance of the various parts (sites) into which an orchard may be divided. The results from the first years of the case study indicate great variability between the sites (0.27 ha each) into which a 6.4 ha ‘d’Anjou’ orchard had been divided. This variability appears mostly in terms of yield (and subsequently, dollar returns) than in terms of fruit size. SSM can provide additional information for the grower, but this information can be expensive, thus its benefits must be weighed against its additional costs. | |
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