Monitoring Sap to Grow Smarter: The APPLE Project Takes on Precision Agriculture

South Tyrol is a leading apple-growing region, contributing to 40% of Italy’s national production and 10% of Europe’s total output. In this highly intensive agricultural setting, knowing exactly when and how plants are under stress can make the difference between sustainable farming and unnecessary loss.

The APPLE project (Precision Agriculture through Perception of Sap Flow in Plants) addresses this challenge with the development of an innovative sensor system designed to measure sap flow, a key physiological indicator of plant health.

By integrating chemical-physical sensors, thermal trunk measurements, and real-time sap flow analysis, the project aims to enable early detection of plant stress, leading to:

• Smarter water and fertilizer use
• Greater sustainability and productivity
• Advanced decision-making support for farmers and agronomists

The APPLE project brings together our Center - scientific lead of our senior researcher Roberto Mendicino and support from our Post-Doc-Researcher Mohammadamin Soltaninezhad -the company Plantvoice SB and the Laimburg Research Centre.

APPLE is funded under the Fusion Grant 3 programme, promoted by Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Bolzano and Südtiroler Wirtschaftsring | Rete Economia Alto Adige and coordinated by NOI Techpark.