Combining Precision Viticulture Technologies and Economic Indices to Sustainable Water Use Management

Abstract

The scarcity of water due to climate change is endangering worldwide the production, quality, and economic viability of growing wine grapes. One of the main mitigation measures to be adopted in the viticulture sector will be an adequate irrigation strategy. Irrigation involves an increasing demand for water, a natural limited resource with increasing availability problems for the foreseeable future. Therefore, the development of a precision irrigation system, which is able to manage the efficient use of water and to monitor the crop water stress, is an important research topic for viticulture. This paper, through the analysis of a case study, aims to describe the prototype of a software platform that integrates data coming from different innovative remote and proximal sensors to monitor the hydric stress status of the vineyard. In addition, by using a cost analysis of grape cultivation and implementing economic indices, this study examines the conditions by which irrigation strategies may be economically justified, helping the decision-making process. By combining different sensors, the platform makes it possible to assess the spatial and temporal variability of water in vineyards. In addition, the output data of the platforming, matched with the economic indices, support the decision-making process for winemakers to optimize and schedule water use under water-scarce conditions.

How can proximal sensors help decision-making in grape production?

“…Finco et al [ 19 ] proposed an innovative software platform (Smart Vitis) based on remote and proximal sensors that can be used to monitor the water status of the vine. This can be a good tool for handling spatial and temporal differences; therefore, it contributes to optimizing irrigation.…”

“…Although winegrowers emphasize soil management or better timing of harvest, water management is becoming a more important issue due to the global warming ([ 77 ]). However, vine irrigation can be expensive ([ 19 ]), but this can be easily compensated for by the price premium of high-quality berries over standard berries ([ 78 ]). Moreover, higher and more stable yields should also be kept in mind.…”

“…As they highlighted, improved resource use efficiency is essential not only for the future, but also for current challenges and PV can provide this solution. However, complex PV systems can be expensive; especially variable cost (depreciation and water use) can be high in the case of irrigation [ 19 ].…”

Classification and Forecasting of Water Stress in Tomato Plants Using Bioristor Data

“…Recently, a novel in vivo sensor, named "bioristor", was developed, patented, and applied in plants [18,19,20,21]. Bioristor provided new insights in the dynamic changes of the chemical composition of the sap in the xylem occurring in drought-stressed tomato and grapevine plants [18,19].…”

“…Recently, a novel in vivo sensor, named "bioristor", was developed, patented, and applied in plants [18,19,20,21]. Bioristor provided new insights in the dynamic changes of the chemical composition of the sap in the xylem occurring in drought-stressed tomato and grapevine plants [18,19]. The bioristor has been used as a smart sensor for precision phenotyping in greenhouse conditions to fine tune the regulation of Vapor Pressure Deficit (VPD) and achieve increased water use efficiency and yield [19] [26].…”