terclim by ICS banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 Mechanisms involved in the heating of the environment by the aerodynamic action of a wind machine to protect a vineyard against spring frost

Mechanisms involved in the heating of the environment by the aerodynamic action of a wind machine to protect a vineyard against spring frost

Abstract

One of the main consequences of global warming is the rise of the mean temperature. Thus, the heat summation by the plants begins sooner in the early spring, and by cumulating growing degree-days, phenological development tends to happen earlier. However, spring frost is still a recurrent phenomenon causing serious damages to buds and therefore, threatening the harvests of the winegrowers. The wind machine is a solution to protect fruit crops against spring frost that is increasingly used. It is composed of a 10-m mast with a blowing fan at its peak. By tapping into the strength of the nocturnal thermal inversion, it sweeps the crop by propelling warm air above to the ground. Thus, stratification is momentarily suppressed. Furthermore, the continuous action of the machine, alone or in synergy, or the addition of a heater allow the bud to be bathed in a warmer environment. Also, the punctual action of the tower’s warm gust reaches the bud directly at each rotation period. All these actions allow the bud to continuously warm up, but with different intensities and over a different period. Although there is evidence of the effectiveness of the wind machines, the thermal transfers involved in those mechanisms raise questions about their true nature. Field measurements based on ultrasonic anemometers and fast responding thermocouples complemented by laboratory measurements on a reduced scale model allow to characterize both the airflow produced by the wind machine and the local temperature in its vicinity. Those experiments were realized in the vineyard of Quincy, in the framework of the SICTAG project. In the future paper, we will detail the aeraulic characterization of the wind machine and the thermal effects resulting from it and we will focus on how the wind machine warms up the local atmosphere and enables to reduce the freezing risk.

Download the PDF

DOI:

Publication date: May 31, 2022

Issue: Terclim 2022

Type: Poster

Authors

Clara Le Cap1,2,3, Johan Carlier2, Hervé Quénol3, Dominique Heitz2 and Emmanuel Buisson1

1Weather Measures, Clermont-Ferrand, France
2INRAE, UR OPAALE, Rennes, France
3CNRS, UMR 6554 LETG, Université Rennes 2, Rennes, France

Contact the author

Keywords

spring frost, wind machine, thermal processes, vineyard, protection

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Terclim 2022

Citation

Related articles…

Hormone metabolism regulates fruit maturation in a slow ripening grape genotype

Context and purpose of the study. Rising temperatures and prolonged heat accelerate berry sugar accumulation in advance of the accumulation of compounds responsible for aroma, colour and mouthfeel.

Read More

Green pruning of shoots to force new sprouting of buds, in fruit set and in pea size: vegetative, productive and maturation effects, in cv. Verdejo

The context of climate crisis leads to the acceleration of technological ripening of grapes, with unsuitable loss of acidity, so various vineyard management alternatives are being considered to delay the grape ripening. The delay of the vegetative cycle towards a period of milder temperatures affects ripening, but vine behavior can vary according to the area, conduction, watering, variety, etc. A work is proposed to know the response to the green pruning of shoots, executed in fruit set and in pea size, in cv. Verdejo.

Read More

Aromatic maturity is a cornerstone of terroir expression in red wine

In this video recording of the IVES science meeting 2023, Stéphanie Marchand (University of Bordeaux, ISVV, INRAE, UMR 1366 OENOLOGIE, Villenave d’Ornon, France) speaks about the aromatic maturity as a cornerstone of terroir expression in red wine. This presentation is based on an original article accessible for free on OENO One.

Read More

Determination of target compounds in cava quality using liquid chromatography. Application of chemometric tools in data analysis

According to the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), Cava is protected in the quality sparkling wines made by the traditional Champenoise method were the wine realize a second fermentation inside the own bottle1. Geographical and human peculiarities of each bottle are the main way for the final quality2. The aim of this study is to find correlations and which target compounds are the most representative of the quality of two different grape varieties, Pinot Noir and Xarel·lo. The quality of these two types of grapes is being studied for each variety by a previous classification of the vineyard made by the company who provided the samples (qualities A,B,C,D, being A the better one and D the worst one). The target compounds studied are organic acids and polyphenols. The methodology for the determination of organic acids is HPLC-UV/vis and for some of them the enzymatic methodology.

Read More

Microbial resources for improving the sustainability in oenology

Sulphur dioxide has long been considered an irreplaceable additive due to its numerous significant positive effects during winemaking and beyond.

Read More