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- The objective of DIPROTES is to improve the production of black truffle by means of digitalisation and 3D monitoring of the plantations, in order to increase productivity, efficiency and sustainability.
- It is an activity co-financed by the EU through intervention 7201 of the Strategic Plan of PAC 2023-2027.
DIPROTES (Digitalisation for Efficient and Sustainable Truffle Production) is a collaborative project between the CERCA centers Agrotecnio and the Centre for Forest Science and Technology of Catalonia (CTFC). The former brings its knowledge of precision agriculture and the latter its expertise in the cultivation of black truffles.
The ultimate goal of this demonstrative activity is to improve black truffle production by digitising and 3D monitoring of the plantations, in order to increase productivity, efficiency and sustainability.
The work is being carried out in the experimental farm of Devesa de Maials, owned by the Diputació de Lleida, and in other productive plantations in the Pre-Pyrenees. The demonstration activity began in June 2024 and will end two years later, in May 2026.
The aim of the project is to adapt and apply current precision agriculture tools to black truffle cultivation. Proximity and remote sensory systems will be used for tree and soil characterisation. GNSS receivers will also be used to geo-reference the collected truffles. The data collection and subsequent analysis will then be synthesised for transfer to the sector.
As CTFC researcher Daniel Oliach explains, ‘truffle producers will be able to have data on production, pruning management, irrigation and soil work in order to improve their production processes’. For his part, Àlex Escolà from Universitat de Lleida and Agrotecnio stresses that ‘these technologies have never been applied in commercial truffle farms and even less in plots, but Agrotecnio has significant experience in their use in other fruit and extensive crops’.
The information generated from these precision farming tools will allow for the adjustment of production resources and more efficient use, such as more effective water and soil management.
The project has the support of the Association of Truffle Producers of Catalonia, the Spanish Federation of Mushroom and Truffle Entrepreneurs, the National Association of Precision Agriculture and the Cluster of Agricultural Machinery and Means of Production of Catalonia.
It is funded by Intervention 7161 – Grants for the implementation of projects of operational groups of the European Association for Innovation in Agricultural Productivity and Sustainability (AEI-*Agri), in the framework of the Strategic Plan of the PEC 2023-2027.
More information at:
https://www.grap.udl.cat/ca/recerca/projectes-de-recerca/diprotes-2024-2026/