“SusTAINABLE and INtelligent INnovative Nursery”, VINSTEIN, is the name of the initiative that launches a pioneering experimentation in the IoT (Internet Of Things) field for the AgriTech sector with production and environmental sustainability, digitalisation and cutting-edge technologies such as Edge Computing, 5G and Artificial Intelligence.
L’University of Pisa has signed an agreement with Fastweb, Zelari Piante and Netsens starting an important collaboration for the implementation of a project centered on environmental and production sustainability, and which thanks to the digitalisation of processes and the use of technologies such as Edge Computing and 5G , aims to optimize the use of resources in nurseries and produce healthier and more resistant plants, reducing water consumption and the use of fertilizers and agrochemicals.
VINSTEIN, promoted with a tender from the Tuscany Region aimed at strengthening green transition processes and financed with the resources of the European Social Fund+ 2021-2027 (ESF+), relies on a unique mix of scientific, industrial and digital skills. Designed by the Department of Agricultural, Food and Agro-environmental Sciences of the University of Pisa, which includes the Dr. Lorenzo Cotrozzi, professor of plant pathology and scientific director of the project, and the Prof. Luca Incrocci, teacher of horticulture and floriculture, VINSTEIN sees the participation of the Research Institute on Terrestrial Ecosystems of the National Research Council, the Tuscan Association of Vineyard Breeders (TOS.CO.VIT) and Zelari Piante itself, a leading company in Italian nursery farming, where experimental activities will be concentrated. The project, thanks also to the Project Work of‘Eng. Angelo Di Maurostudent of the Master’s “Sustainable Development and Climate Change” at the University of Pisa, found the technological support of Fastweb e Netsensstrengthening the ambition to improve operational efficiency and reduce environmental impact in the nursery sector, leveraging advanced sensors, Edge Computing platforms, 5G network and intelligent software applications.
In concrete terms, the agreement provides for the creation of an ‘AgriLab’ in which the Agriculture 4.0 IoT solution will be tested and validated, which will represent the first and so far only solution in Italy specifically for the nursery sector. The Agrilab will be made up of three experimental sites: two at universities in Pisa and one inside the Zelari nursery in Pistoia, in the historic production site since 1953, where validations of the IoT systems developed by the partners can be carried out.
The initiative focuses on two aspects: on the one hand, the use and implementation of hyperspectral sensors for monitoring the health conditions of plants and the evaluation of the most resistant genotypes and the adequacy of management practices, on the other, the development and validation of a “Decision Support Systems (DSS)”, a platform that will support nurserymen in making more efficient decisions in the field of crop management, to monitor in real time and prevent, through artificial intelligence algorithms, stressful conditions caused by biotic and abiotic factors, such as pathogens and water and nutritional deficiencies. Netsens, an Italian company that produces monitoring systems for agriculture, meteorology, the environment and mobility info, will supply much of the agro-environmental sensors and the know-how for the development of the DSS.
Fastweb, one of the main telecommunications operators in Italy and a company that has always been committed to promoting the digitalisation of the country, will make available its network infrastructure and an innovative IoT technological platform designed to facilitate the connection, monitoring and control of intelligent devices connected in 5G, as well as cutting-edge technologies such as Cloud and Edge Computing, necessary for the correct functioning of the system. The new DSS will be developed on Fastweb’s Cloud Edge and Data Management platform within the company’s regional Data Center in Bologna and will provide farmers with detailed recommendations thanks to intelligent forecasting models based on the information collected by the sensors, thus allowing them to automate crop management. crops.
The agreement has a duration of two years and in February 2024 the first phase began, which involves the development and validation of the DSS. The next step will allow the creation of a solution that is replicable, scalable and also applicable to other types of crops, as well as being economically accessible for the entire network of agricultural entrepreneurs.