Mapping orchard flowers and fruit

April 2019 | Presented by Dr James Underwood, Green Atlas | Future Orchards® Orchard Walk presentation

Accurate information about flower and fruit distribution can help growers move from broad block averages towards more precise orchard management. In this Future Orchards® presentation, Dr James Underwood of Green Atlas introduces technology for mapping orchard flowers and fruit, showing how machine vision and spatial data can be used to quantify variability through commercial blocks.

The approach is designed to capture information at a scale that is difficult to achieve through manual counting alone. Mapping flower density and later fruit distribution can reveal where crop load varies within rows and between trees, giving growers and advisers a clearer picture of how uniform the orchard really is.

This information has practical value for crop-load management, thinning and yield estimation. When repeated through the season, digital mapping can help compare flowering, fruit set and final crop patterns and can support more targeted management where variability is persistent.

The resource reflects the broader Future Orchards® focus on measuring what is happening in the orchard and using objective data to improve decisions. For growers considering sensing and imaging technologies, it provides an early example of how orchard-scale digital measurement can complement traditional monitoring.