1. Precision harvesting and traceability in Durum wheat
Francesco Morari
DAFNAE, University of Padova

2. Veneto Region: the landscape

3. Pasta can be made with flour of different cereals…
Pasta can be made with flour of different cereals….. but the best past is made with flour of Durum wheat….
1) Durum wheat produces pasta with good cooking quality and stability to overcooking
2) High quality pasta = high protein content & high gluten content

4. High quality standard could be guaranteed by mean of:
North Italy represents the northern limit for cultivation of durum wheat in Europe with uncertain results in terms of grain quality (e.g. protein content).
Grain quality is strongly influenced by the interactions between cultivar, management and pedo-climatic conditions
High quality standard could be guaranteed by mean of:
Variety selection
N input at rates often double than those required to maximizing grain yield
Higher cost and environmental problems

5. Precision agriculture and sensor technologies offer new potentialities to meet grain quality standards
N variable rate application and site-specific N balance
optimize N input according to soil variability with an overall increase of N efficiency and reduction of N leaching and GHGs emission
Precision harvesting
maximize the tonnage of higher quality grades, allowing to separate the grain according to its quality

6. $ Precision harvesting
The Italian cereal market offers a premium to durum wheat stocks with a protein content > 13.5%
Homogeneous harvest
13.2 % no premium $
13.7%
Precision harvest
13.7 % premium
12% no premium
12%
Map of protein content

7. The case study of Miana Serraglia farm
Location: Venice Lagoon watershed
Field size: 13.5 ha
Problem: area classified as Nitrate Vulnerable Zone (EU Nitrate Directive)
Goal: increase quality/quantity of durum wheat mitigating N pollution

8. Nitrogen VRA based on prescription map
Durum wheat (cv Biensur )
2 years
sod-seeding,
Fertilization
tillering stage (February) – base fertilisation kg ha-1 y-1 (AN)
stem elongation (April) differentiated in the MZs (U)
flowering stage (May ) 15 kg ha-1 y-1 (foliar-UAN)

9. Yield and protein contents were measured in continuous
Sensed points

10. Rx Grains – scanning camera-
Sensor:
256 pixel diode array sensor (MMS1, Zeiss, Germany)
range of nm
Infrared light source:
20W halogen lamp

11. Management zone harvesting (MZ)
Each Homogeneous zone (HZ) is separately harvested.
HZ are identified using GPS system mounted on combine.

12. Grain flour quality in management zone harvesting
Sequential protein extractions on grain flour were performed on 6 sub-samples per MZ
Different gluten protein fractions, gliadins, high (HMW-GS) and low-molecular weight glutenins (LMW-GS) were quantified spectrophotometrically
Higher quality
higher content of gluten
higher ratio HMW/LMW
higher ratio glutenins/gliadins

13. Making site-specific pasta
Evaluation in terms of
technological properties
organoleptic test

14. Year 2011
Water stress in the last part of crop cycle strongly affected the wheat performances
High variability within the zones

15. NDVI maps

16. Protein quality first year
Higher quality in LFZ
higher content of gluten
higher ratio HMW/LMW
higher ratio glutenins/gliadins

17. Year 2012

18. Year 2012

19. Site-specific pasta
200+0
130 +0
160+0
160+15

20. Technological parameters: firmness
Pasini et al., 2017)

21. What next?

22. Management zone harvesting (MZ)
Each Homogeneous zone (HZ) is separately harvested.
HZ are identified using GPS system mounted on combine.
No necessity the presence of NIR sensor on combine
Product selected on the basis of qualitative potential of each HZ.

23. On-combine differential harvesting
<13,5%
> 13,5%
On-combine differential harvesting (CD)
The combine’s hopper is divided into two different bins.
NIRs sensor gives information on the go about field protein.
It is important to check the right cut-off value.
Cillis et al., 2016

24. Cillis et al., 2016

25. Research Partners Giuliano Mosca Luigi Sartori Donato Cillis
Paolo Berzaghi
Gabriella Pasini
Giovanni Visioli
Roberto Ferrise
Marco Bindi
Research supported by Progetto AGER, grant n C21J

26. Thank you for your attention