Azienda Agraria Didattico-Sperimentale F. Dotti, Arcagna (Mi)
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Summary
- country: IT
- Offered by: UNIMI
- Service(s) using this infrastructure: Upon request
Description
It is an experimental farm dedicated to fruit growing, that cultivates an area of 10 hectares with 4000 fruit plants with different varieties of apricot, peaches, pears, apples, kiwi, blackberries, and blueberries. The 10 hectares cultivated consist of a sequence of different techniques for irrigation, insect control, and soil nutrition, with the aim of testing the best solutions in terms of productivity and environmental impact. On one hand, the company is working on the recovery of old fruit varieties with 40 species that are no longer cultivated, which need to be studied; on the other hand, it is involved in regional and European projects focused on identifying genetic markers that enable plants to resist diseases. There is also a 300-square-meter greenhouse for physiology and genetics projects related to grasses with the goal of studying new precision irrigation and fertilization techniques. This involves integrating data collected from drones, mini scanners mounted on tractors, geophysical tools to assess soil stratigraphy, and a network of wireless sensors for moisture monitoring. There is also ample availability on the part of this company to host any experiments to be conducted in the context of fruit growing.