Development of a prototype of telemetry system for monitoring the spraying operation in vineyards.

Modern technology and telecommunication systems enable precision field data to be acquired which improves agricultural operations management. The aim of this work was to develop and operate a prototype telemetry system suitable for winemakers to monitor the performance of their spraying operations in real-time, and to acquire useful data. The prototype telemetry system was composed of a tracking module for data acquisition, a server for remote monitoring and data storing, a GSM/GPRS/ GPS module for data transmission and a GNSS for sprayer localization. Data that could be acquired were the latitude, the longitude, the speed of the sprayer, the status of the lift, the PTO, the functioning side of the sprayhead (left and right), the presence of the operator, the values of pressure at the centrifugal pump and in the sprayhead, and the flow rate. This telemetry system was tested in different vineyards to evaluate the proper functioning of all the components. Results showed that the spray pressure and the flow rate measured by the sensors of the telemetry system were similar to the theoretical values defined for the regulation of the sprayer. The estimated value of application rate, which was a number derived from the provided forward speed, was also similar to the theoretical value, indicating that the forward speed recorded by the telemetry system was accurate. The telemetry system was also useful to detect a weak point in the spraying operation management, consisting of a different application rate when the forward direction of the tractor was uphill compared with downhill.