Microchip-based system for supporting a certification scheme for olive trees

In order to manage a significant amount of multi-source data, a microchip-based traceability system is proposed in order to provide remote, web-based verification of health assays, as well as to offer data-exchange among stakeholders. A requirement analysis and the design of a computer-based traceability system were performed to include certified olive trees with implanted microchips. To evaluate the system, a case study was carried out to manage plant pathological data using the designed software. The effects of microchips on plant viability and damage to vascular tissues by image analysis were estimated in 2- or 4-year-old olive trees, with an implanted Ultra High Frequency (UHF; 300 MHz 3 GHz) microchip. Two-year-old trees, with a smaller trunk diameter, exhibited a reduction of 5.4 +/- 0.5% in vascular tissue due to drilling to insert the microchip. No significant effects were measured in four-year-old trees. For pathogen-tested plants, the proposed traceability system represents an initial attempt to use implanted UHF microchips to monitor olive tree health.