Eye in the sky

The gentle hum of bees at native orchards in the district of Bad Schönborn (north east of Ingolstadt) will be joined by another hum for the next few years, as drones take on the task of ‘crop watchers’.

The project is part of a joint venture between the Audi Environmental Foundation and the Geography Department of the Heidelberg University of Education, designed to use the drones to study tree health in the orchards of the district, as well as monitoring the health and wellbeing of native animals and insects and their habitats in the area. The drones are controlled by geographers of Heidelberg University of Education as they capture images of the trees and vegetation from the air. These images are then evaluated scientifically using innovative geo-technology in order to develop recommendations for the care of the orchards.

This approach is particularly effective in a traditional orchard arrangement as found in the area, where fruit trees of various species and varieties grow together – rather than the modern fruit plantations which are laid out as monocultures and can be managed industrially and thus more easily.

Here in the Bad Schönborn region, more than 20 types of apple trees are found as well as pear trees and stone-fruit trees, so the ability of the drones to hover above the plantation and monitor the different types individually is invaluable.

“The Bad Schönborn mixed orchard project combines the application of modern technology with environmental considerations and the conservation of local diversity of species. It brings together exactly those elements that are essential for the work of our foundation,” says Rüdiger Recknagel, Director of the Foundation.

As the first step, the drones must therefore be able to identify the type of tree in question. They then record the health and care status of the plants and enter this data in an interactive geographical database. The aim of this overview is to develop tailored measures for the protection and maintenance of the trees. The project is initially scheduled to run for three years, with recommendations for orchard care and its application to other similar locations also considered for the long term.