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This week marked a pivotal moment for the CERBERUS project as partners gathered at Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) to discuss progress and future steps.
Their mission? To innovate and enhance the sustainability of Mediterranean agriculture.
Led by UPV’s Agricultural Robotics Laboratory, CERBERUS aims to develop an intelligent system to reduce pesticide usage and combat six key pests in Mediterranean agriculture. Currently, pest surveillance involves costly and inefficient field visits. CERBERUS addresses this challenge by focusing on early pest detection and intelligent applications of variable spray doses, thus promoting sustainable pest eradication.
CERBERUS proposes the development of a digital platform that integrates data from various sources to generate risk maps and spray recommendations using artificial intelligence algorithms. This platform will collect data from satellite crop observations, insect traps connected to the cloud, close-proximity agricultural monitoring robots, input from farmers, and even citizen science participation. By processing this wealth of information, CERBERUS aims to safeguard fields against major pests threatening Mediterranean agriculture.
The CERBERUS system will be validated for three quarantine pests (F. dorée, X. fastidiosa, B. dorsalis) and three commonly treated pests (L. botrana, B. oleae, C. capitata), across three major Mediterranean crops: wine-producing vineyards, olive oil-producing orchards, and citrus plantations.
The ultimate goal of CERBERUS is to provide a new and advanced surveillance system accessible to all sectors, from small-scale farmers to official Plant Health Services. By enabling early pest detection and intelligent action, leveraging the power of AI and other technologies, CERBERUS aims to protect these crops sustainably.
Funded by the European Union through the Horizon Europe program, the CERBERUS project boasts the collaboration of 13 partners from Spain, Cyprus, Slovenia, and Italy, spanning academia, agricultural companies, and governmental bodies. It commenced in January and is slated to conclude in December 2027.
Stay tuned for more updates as CERBERUS continues to pave the way for a brighter, more sustainable future in agriculture.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or Horizon Europe. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
Grant Agreement 101134878
