Australian Avocado Farms Adopt Semtech Monitoring System

Semtech has supplied its long-range, low-power technology to two Australian companies to deploy in avocado plantations. The Camarillo semiconductor and Internet of Things products developer made its LoRa devices available to ICT International and Definium Technologies. The companies deployed a suite of LoRa-enabled sensors throughout a large-scale avocado farm in New South Wales, Australia to identify the ongoing causes of low crop yield. Farmers across Australia are currently in the process of integrating ICT International and Definium’s LoRa-based sensors into their own smart irrigation systems to better address and respond to crop stress and increase yield. Peter Cull, director of ICT International, said that avocado crops are highly susceptible to stress at key times throughout their growing cycle. “Utilizing plant physiology sensors based on Semtech’s leading and proven LoRa devices enables the simple and accurate monitoring of moisture flow inside the plants and allows farmers to respond quickly to stressors to improve yield,” Cull said in a statement. “As a result, farmers maximize profit while reducing expenses related to product waste.” Shares of Semtech (SMTC) closed down at just over $3, or 4.9 percent, to $57.76 on the Nasdaq, on a day when that market closed down 5 percent.