Precision agriculture in watermelons
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The main applications of precision agriculture have been in arable crops, orchards and vineyards. The application of precision agriculture in open field vegetables has gained very little attention, especially in the case of hand-picked fresh produce, while the revenue from these products is much higher and quality is very important. The objective of this study was to investigate the potential of applying precision agriculture techniques in watermelons, investigating the spatial and temporal variability in small fields, which are typical for watermelon producers. The research was carried out in 2013 and 2014 in a 0.8 ha watermelon, cultivar. Crisby field in Peloponnese, Southern Greece. Yield and quality data were measured and mapped, as well as soil electrical conductivity (ECa). The results indicated that piercing force to penetrate the flesh was positively correlated with yield and sugar content for both years, while ECa was correlated with the same parameters in the second year. However, there were no correlations in yield and quality factors between the two years, which indicates that more years of data should be obtained.