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Writer's pictureAstin van Schalkwyk

The RevScout: Crop Mapping Potentials

 In today’s world of agriculture, the quest for maximizing yield and maintaining high fruit quality is an ongoing challenge. Fruit producers are faced with many challenges, from variability in crop yields to the need for precise management techniques. However, with advancements in technology, tools like the  RevScout are transforming the way fruit producers approach orchard management.


Over the years we have conducted more than 1000 yield maps with the RevScout. In this blog post, we'll explore successful cases of the RevScout on various fruit crops that highlight how the RevScout's innovative Fruit Mapping solution is changing the approach of yield variation quantification. With field counts, yield maps can be calibrated into T/Ha maps which gives insights into tonnage variation within an orchard. 


Table Grapes:


Table grape vineyards, with their diverse varieties and demand for consistent fruit quality, today;s growers encounter unique challenges in yield prediction and management. In another success story, RevScout's fruit load index mapping capabilities empowered a vinyerad to implement precision management techniques for monitoring the yield o each vine.


RevScout's cameras accurately counted Grape bunches, enabling the creation of detailed fruit load indices for precise yield estimation. With the calibrated maps, this allowed the vineyard to possess T/Ha maps and predict bunch size and weight distribution at harvest with high accuracy. By leveraging this data for potassium fertilizer planning, crop thinning, and vigor management, the vineyard achieved improved yield and enhanced fruit quality across Sweet Globe, Allison, and Crimson varieties. Additionally, optimized zonal thinning strategies based on mapping data led to increased operational efficiency and overall productivity.


By providing growers with precise yield data insights, RevScout enables informed decision-making, effective management strategies such as potassium fertilizer planning or harvest planning, and ultimately, improved ROI. Whether it's optimizing potassium fertilizer application, implementing targeted crop thinning, or enhancing operational efficiency, RevScout is at the forefront of driving innovation in orchard and vineyard management.



Citrus:


In the citrus industry, success hinges on precision and efficiency. Revolute Systems' RevScout is reshaping orchard management and monitoring for citrus growers, offering tailored solutions to optimize yield and enhance fruit quality. In 2024, the impact of RevScout on citrus orchards is undeniable, offering tangible benefits for growers seeking to maximize productivity.



The RevScout's tree-level data analysis provides citrus growers with invaluable insights. By generating detailed Tons per Hectare (T/ha) maps and predicting total tons per cultivar and block, RevScout enables targeted fruit load management to improve orchard efficiency.

Through T/ha mapping, RevScout identifies high-yield areas and evaluates potassium levels to prevent yield, quality reductions. By minimizing tree alternation and implementing zonal thinning strategies, growers can unlock the full potential of their orchards.

Real-Time Orchard Management:

RevScout's integration with Google Earth and GPS-enabled smartphones enables real-time orchard management. Growers can export yield maps and direct labor resources, ensuring timely interventions and maximizing productivity.


RevScout is revolutionizing citrus orchard management by providing growers with actionable insights and predictive capabilities. In 2024, its impact on yield optimization and fruit quality enhancement is evident, making it an essential tool for citrus growers committed to success.




Pome Fruit


The RevScout has generated detailed tree-level fruit load index maps, accurate yield predictions, individual variety yield calculation within a single orchard, invaluable insights for potassium fertilizer planning, crop thinning, and canopy vigor management.


With RevScout's T/ha maps, the orchard could identify areas with high yield potential and evaluate potassium levels to prevent yield reduction in the next season. By implementing zonal thinning strategies based on the mapping data, the orchard optimized productivity and reduced block alternation, leading to a significant improvement in overall yield and fruit quality across Apple and Pear varieties.


The full potential of the RevScout can be achieved in Pome fruit, where we have developed hundreds of yield maps from various regions within South Africa. On Pome Fruit, the RevScout can be used from Full bloom up until harvest; whereby flower mapping can be conducted to showcase the Full Bloom variation within an orchard. The first fruit scan can be conducted after the fruit set, when the majority of the fruit in an orchard reaches a fruit size of 25mm, this can assist in thinning strategies. Finally,  Once the fruit reaches an average size of 50mm, a yield estimation can be conducted with the assistance of field counts to calibrate the maps into T/Ha, which then provides variation into yield within an orchard in terms of T/Ha. 



Stonefruit


Stone fruit orchards such as Cherries, Plums and Nectarines are known for their variability in orchard canopy, yield across different varieties due to various planting styles, management of cross-pollinators, and pollination quality. With orchards facing these challenges, RevScout's Fruit Mapping solution proved to be a useful tool in providing insights into the challenges experienced. 


The RevScout has generated detailed tree-level fruit load index maps, accurate yield predictions, individual variety yield calculation within a single orchard, invaluable insights for potassium fertilizer planning, crop thinning, and canopy vigor management.


With RevScout's T/ha maps, the orchard could identify areas with high yield potential and evaluate potassium levels to prevent yield reduction in the next season. By implementing zonal thinning strategies based on the mapping data, the orchard optimized productivity and reduced block alternation, leading to a significant improvement in overall yield and fruit quality across cherry, plum, peach, nectarine, and almond varieties.






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