- 1E. Mach Foundation, Technological and Transfer Center, S.Michele all' Adige, Italy
- 2Autonome Province of Trient, UMSt Agricolture, Trento, Italy
- 3Trentino Digitale, Head of Innovation and Technological Dissemination, Trento, Italy
- 4Bruno Kessler Foundation, Open Platforms and Enabling Technologies for the Internet of Things, Trento, Italy
IRRITRE for a sustainable irrigation in agriculture of Trentino
Francesco Centurioni, Cecilia Mattedi, Fabio Zottele, Stefano Corradini, Alessandra Gattolin, Fabio Antonelli, Francesca Paolucci, Pietro Franceschi
We present the IRRITRE project, conceived to optimize and monitor water usage for the irrigation of three key crops in Trentino’s Alpine region: apples, wine grapes, and olives; within the context of climate change. Led by the Province of Trento, the initiative is supported by the Edmund Mach Foundation (agronomic expertise), the Bruno Kessler Foundation (sensor development and soil moisture monitoring), and Trentino Digitale (IoT network infrastructure).
Launched in 2024 and set to conclude in 2025, the project has established three pilot sites strategically selected to represent the principal cultivation zones for the crops under study: Tres (Val di Non) for apples, Roverè della Luna (Piana Rotaliana) for vines, and Varone (Garda Trentino) for olives.
At each of these sites, a suite of sensors is being deployed, linked via the LoRaWAN network, which offers wide-area coverage with low energy consumption. These sensors are designed to monitor soil moisture through tensiometers and capacitive probes, measure water volumes with pulse counters on sector valves, and track irrigation flow using flow meters installed along the drip lines near the crops.
By integrating sensor data with a network of meteorological stations, a robust understanding of crop water requirements, and the capabilities of artificial intelligence, the project employs an advanced forecasting model for irrigation known as SWAB (Soil Water Advanced Budget). This model enables the estimation of the water balance for irrigated lands and provides tailored irrigation recommendations to agricultural consortia.
Looking ahead, the project aspires to extend this irrigation decision-support service to more than two hundreds of irrigation consortia around Trentino. By doing so, it aims to gather location-specific data and consolidate insights into water usage in the region, ultimately fostering more sustainable agricultural practices.
How to cite: Centurioni, F., Zottele, F., Mattedi, C., Corradini, S., Franceschi, P., Gattolin, A., Paolucci, F., and Antonelli, F.: IRRITRE for a sustainable irrigation in agriculture of Trentino, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-17487, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-17487, 2025.
