Ground-based sensor platforms for continuous monitoring of olive tree and fruit: a review

Precision agriculture (PA) is a farming management concept that emphasizes the application of information technology to collecting and using high-resolution data (ranging from seasonal periods up to minute intervals) for on-time agricultural practices with respect to soil, plant, and climate. Therefore, constant data collection (continuous monitoring) is beneficial in PA. Continuous monitoring could be performed on soil, plant, and environment, however, plants act as a connector between soil and environment, and its physiological response reflects an integrated effect. Continuous plant-based monitoring can be employed for olive tree and fruit management. Several sensor platforms have been used for monitoring olive orchards and among them, ground-based is the most suitable platform for continuous plant monitoring (up to minute intervals). Information such as, water stress, disease and pest status, fruit growth, fruit maturation, fruit size, and yield could be provided by continuous plant-based monitoring via ground-based sensor platforms. This methodological review addresses current applications and challenges of continuous plant-based monitoring of olive trees and fruit via ground-based platforms. Finally, we hypothesize possible future development for providing a wider range of agricultural services.