At the end of October, a digital outdoor laboratory for fruit growing and viticulture, also known by the abbreviation LIDO (Laimburg Integrated Digital Orchard), was inaugurated at the Laimburg research center (South Tyrol). The aim of the smart, innovative and sustainable outdoor laboratory is to promote innovation in the field of digitization and robotics in agriculture.

Since the end of October, the LIDO has been available to companies and research institutions to use, test and demonstrate to the public existing and new technologies under practical conditions. The goal: Digitization and robotics can support sustainable, knowledge-based production and the careful use of resources in order to equip agriculture for the challenges of the future. For this reason, the Laimburg Research Center has dedicated itself to the topic of "Digital Innovation and Smart Technologies" in one of its five main research areas until 2030. Numerous projects and activities related to digitization, big data, non-destructive quality determination, automation and modern breeding technologies contribute to the implementation of this focus. Against this background, the test center has set up two outdoor laboratories for fruit and wine growing. "We stand for smart and quality-oriented food production that is more efficient, economical and ecologically sustainable," explains Michael Oberhuber, Director of the Laimburg Research Center.

Source: SZOW – Swiss magazine for fruit and wine growing

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