Cerberus Concept
Concept
CERBERUS PROJECT
Multi-source pest surveillance for earlier decisions and more precise interventions
CONCEPT SUMMARY
Pest monitoring is essential — and still too often slow, manual, and localized. CERBERUS brings together satellite data, smart traps, close-range monitoring and citizen observations to generate risk maps and decision support that help act earlier, with better precision.
- Detect pest pressure earlier across large areas (not only where traps are placed).
- Reduce time-consuming field visits and improve monitoring frequency.
- Support targeted, data-driven spraying when it matters most.
FOUNDING AGENCY: EUROPEAN COMMISION
TOTAL BUDGET: € 4,891,830
FOUNDING PROGRAM: HORIZON-CL6-2023-GOVERNANCE-01-16
The CERBERUS approach
CERBERUS focuses on early detection to support more sustainable crop protection, aiming to reduce pesticide use and enable intelligent spray applications when pest pressure is still low and interventions can be highly effective, even at reduced spray rates.
How it works
From observations to recommendations — in one connected workflow.
1 - Observe (multi-source data)
- CERBERUS combines:
- Copernicus satellite data, benefiting from frequent revisits and multiple spectral bands
- IoT insect traps reporting data daily
- Robot-based monitoring at close distance (under 1 meter) for high reliability
- Citizen observations collected through dedicated apps, adding granularity in the field
2 - Integrate (cloud platform)
Data from these sources is merged through a cloud platform to build a consistent picture of crop health and pest pressure.
3 - Analyze (AI decision support)
AI algorithms process the integrated data to produce risk maps and decision outputs.
4 - Act (recommendations users can apply)
The platform delivers spraying recommendations and practical insights that support timely, targeted interventions.
Less guesswork. Better timing. Smarter interventions.
Validation: crops and target pests
CERBERUS is designed for the Mediterranean basin’s key specialty crops and validated across a set of quarantine and commonly managed pests.
Target pests (6)
- Quarantine pests (3):
Scientific name: Scaphoideus titanus (Flavescence dorée)
Common name: Vine leafhopper
Type: Leafhopper (Hemiptera)
Short description:
Small yellow-brown leafhopper, about 5–6 mm long. Adults are wedge-shaped and live on grapevine leaves, where they feed on plant sap.
Damage caused:
Vector of Flavescence dorée, a serious grapevine disease. Causes leaf yellowing, poor grape development, vine decline and eventual vine death.
Scientific name: Bactrocera dorsalis
Common name: Oriental fruit fly
Type: Fruit fly (Tephritidae)
Short description:
Medium-sized fly with a dark thorax and distinctive wing patterns. Females lay eggs under the fruit skin.
Damage caused:
Larvae feed inside fruit pulp, causing internal rot and premature fruit drop. Leads to severe economic losses and export restrictions.
Scientific name: Philaenus spumarius
Common name: Meadow froghopper
Type: Spittlebug (Hemiptera)
Short description:
Small brown insect known for producing foam (“spittle”) during its nymph stage. Highly polyphagous and common in many crops.
Damage caused:
Main European vector of Xylella fastidiosa. Causes severe diseases in olive trees and other crops, leading to branch dieback and tree death.
- Commonly managed pests (3):
Scientific name: Bactrocera oleae
Common name: Olive fruit fly
Type: Fruit fly (Tephritidae)
Short description:
Small brown fly specifically associated with olives. Females puncture olives to lay eggs.
Damage caused:
Larvae develop inside olives, reducing yield and oil quality. Causes premature fruit drop and increases acidity in olive oil.
Scientific name: Lobesia botrana
Common name: European grapevine moth
Type: Moth (Lepidoptera)
Short description:
Small brown moth with patterned wings. Larvae are greenish caterpillars that feed on grape clusters.
Damage caused:
Larvae damage grape berries, facilitating fungal infections such as Botrytis. Causes yield loss and reduced wine quality.
Scientific name: Ceratitis capitata
Common name: Mediterranean fruit fly
Type: Fruit fly (Tephritidae)
Short description:
Small fly with colorful wing bands and a mottled body. Highly invasive and extremely polyphagous.
Damage caused:
Females lay eggs inside fruit. Larvae feed internally, causing rapid fruit decay, loss of commercial value and quarantine issues.
Built with real users (multi-actor model)
CERBERUS follows a multi-actor approach in which end users range from private growers to official crop health monitoring stations — ensuring tools and methods are co-created around real operational needs, not only research objectives.
Who is involved
The multi-actor approach is strengthened by the complementarity of the consortium:
- 3 academic partners
- 3 technology companies
- 1 citizen science specialist
- 1 government agency involved in crop protection
- 5 end users from Italy, Cyprus and Spain
Real-world pilots
CERBERUS provides two pilot plots in different countries for each target crop, supporting validation in diverse conditions and farming contexts.
The proposed concept and methodology has the potential to deploy an innovative crop surveillance system, strengthened by early detection in high-value crops. This supports more effective application of sustainable phytosanitary measures and contributes to the co-creation of crop protection policies.
What this unlocks:
- Earlier visibility of pest pressure at scale
- Better decision-making under time constraints
- More targeted actions aligned with sustainability goals
