Nitrogenous fertilisation is essential in olive tree use, both in a positive and negative way, increasing or lowering final production. Traditionally, the olive tree nutritional state assessment is done punctually by means of foliar diagnosis techniques in a series of control trees. Although results can detect nutritional anomalies, the intrinsic variability is not correctly analysed. Therefore, this kind of practise causes a random application of a standard fertiliser dosage by application unit.

Nevertheless, technological advances in agricultural equipment allow for adapting in a variable way application dosage to every tree real needs. Variable dosage does not only contribute to savings in fertiliser quantity, but it also helps to production improvement and a decrease of land/aquifer pollution by an excess of fertiliser.

The nitrogen content of the crop is certainly related to the chlorophyll content of the crop, which in turn can be determined by calculating vegetative indices obtained by combining spectral signatures collected by our multispectral sensors. Thanks to the use of drone technology, we collect information at a high level of detail and with the capacity to cover large areas of land in a short time.

• The use of drones allows spatial analysis of nutritional deficiencies in the olive grove, making it possible to apply variable dosage techniques correctly and effectively.
• The combination of high-resolution multispectral images and predictive models makes it possible to extrapolate the values analysed in a sample area to the entire crop, obtaining a zoning of the nutritional status of the olive grove.
• Thanks to the use of variable dosage fertilisation, the farmer optimises his inputs and applies only what the tree needs, without creating surpluses that could contaminate the environment.