GiESCO 2019 banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 GiESCO 9 Evaluation of a biological foliar fertilization system, in the production, agronomic and quality characteristics of three wine grape varieties

Evaluation of a biological foliar fertilization system, in the production, agronomic and quality characteristics of three wine grape varieties

Abstract

Context and purpose of the study – Evaluation of the fertility management practices in wine grape varieties production. Wine grape represents one of the most important productions in Greece with major impact to the socioeconomic characteristics of the country. The objective of this study is to evaluate, with the support of Geospatial Technologies, the potential effects of an innovative foliar fertilizer system, which is composed of three parts: a mineral fertilizer in a micronized formulation, a biostimulant as an enhancing factor of the process and, an amino acid compound (SANOVITA concept). The study was established at a collaborative, private vineyard, in the area of Trilofos-Thessaloniki, at the region of Northern Greece. The overall process will enhance the existing, cultivating practices of the vineyard, developing qualitative characteristics of the final product in order to establish a strong brand name called “Petit Oineonas”. The spraying was chosen to be made in only three French varieties (Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah), mainly because of an equal area size.

Material and methods – The vineyard was established at the location of Trilofos, Thessaloniki, Greece in fifteen lines in an area of almost 0.4 ha (4 stremmata). Half of the vineyard is sprayed with the system at two growth stages, while the grower applies organic management to the vineyard. The experimental design includes for each line of the fifteen corridors the following approaches: 1st part-a Control part with no application, 2nd part-an application of the SANOVITA concept (applied foliar in two growth stages during the growing season), 3rd part-a second Control part with no application and 4th part- an application of the SANOVITA concept. Data measured included NDVI, GIS (Geographic Information Systems) applications, use of Sentinel-2 satellite images, fruit size, sugar content and visible observations were recorded.

Results – Results from this year, have shown that the additional application of the foliar system based on GIS applications and spatial statistics has increased the yield and improved the overall quality of the grapes (weight, grape size and resulted in changes in sugar content). The study will be continued for additional 3 years for establishing further spatiotemporal comparison achievements.

DOI:

Publication date: September 28, 2023

Issue: GiESCO 2019

Type: Poster

Authors

Konstantinos ZOUKIDIS1, Athanasios GERTSIS1, Avraam MAVRIDIS1*Ourania-Elodie SOUFLEROU2, Evangelos SOUFLEROS3

Perrotis College, American Farm School, GR570 01, Thessaloniki, GREECE
Vineyard & Winery, “Christiane Jardel Soufleros”Trilofos GR575 00, Thessaloniki, GREECE
3 Laboratory of Oenology and Alcoholic Beverages, Department of Food Science &Technology, School of Agriculture, Faculty of Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Environment, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, GREECE

Contact the author

Keywords

vineyard, GIS (Geographic Information Systems), Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, SANOVITA concept

Tags

GiESCO | GiESCO 2019 | IVES Conference Series

Citation

Related articles…

Grapevine sugar concentration model in the Douro Superior, Portugal

Increasingly warm and dry climate conditions are challenging the viticulture and winemaking sector. Digital technologies and crop modelling bear the promise to provide practical answers to those challenges. As viticultural activities strongly depend on harvest date, its early prediction is particularly important, since the success of winemaking practices largely depends upon this key event, which should be based on an accurate and advanced plan of the annual cycle. Herein, we demonstrate the creation of modelling tools to assess grape ripeness, through sugar concentration monitoring. The study area, the Portuguese Côa valley wine region, represents an important terroir in the “Douro Superior” subregion. Two varieties (cv. Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca) grown in five locations across the Côa Region were considered. Sugar accumulation in grapes, with concentrations between 170 and 230 g l-1, was used from 2014 to 2020 as an indicator of technological maturity conditioned by meteorological factors. The climatic time series were retrieved from the EU Copernicus Service, while sugar data were collected by a non-profit organization, ADVID, and by Sogrape, a leading wine company. The software for calibrating and validating this model framework was the Phenology Modeling Platform (PMP), version 5.5, using Sigmoid and growing degree-day (GDD) models for predictions. The performance was assessed through two metrics: Roots Mean Square Error (RMSE) and efficiency coefficient (EFF), while validation was undertaken using leave-one-out cross-validation. Our findings demonstrate that sugar content is mainly dependent on temperature and air humidity. The models achieved a performance of 0.65

Geospatial trends of bioclimatic indexes in the topographically complex region of Barolo DOCG

Barolo DOCG is an economically important wine producing region in Northwest Italy. It is a small region of approximately 70 km2 gross area. The topography is very complex with steep sloped hills ranging in elevation from below 200 m to 550 m. Barolo DOCG wine is made exclusively from the Nebbiolo grape. Bioclimatic indexes are often used in viticulture to gain a better understanding of broader climate trends which can be compared temporally and geographically. These indexes are also used for identifying potential phenological timing, growing region suitability, and potential risks associated with expected climatic changes. Understanding how topography influences bioclimatic indexes can help with understanding of mesoscale climate behaviour leading to improved decision making and risk management strategies. The average monthly maximum and minimum temperatures, the Cool Night Index, the Huglin Index, and the monthly diurnal range (from July to October) were calculated using data from 45 weather stations within a 40 km radius of the Barolo DOCG growing area between the years 1996 and 2019. Linear and multiple regression models were developed using independent variables (elevation, aspect, slope) extracted from a digital elevation model to identify significant relationships. Bioclimatic indexes were then kriged with external drift using independent variables that showed significant relationships with the bioclimatic index using a 100 m resolution grid. The maximum monthly temperatures and the Huglin Index showed consistent significant negative relationships with elevation in all years. The minimum monthly temperatures showed no relationship with elevation but in some months a small but significant relationship was observed with aspect. Due to the lack of a relationship between minimum monthly temperatures and elevation compared to the significant relationship between maximum monthly temperatures and elevation, monthly diurnal range had a negative relationship with elevation.

Influence of agronomic practices in soil water content in mid-mountain vineyards

In the context of LIFE project MIDMACC (LIFE18 CCA/ES/001099), several pilots have been installed in vineyards in mid mountain areas of Catalonia (NE Spain) to test well stablished agronomic practices to increase the adaptation of Mediterranean mid mountain to climate change. Soil water content (SWC) at three different depths (15, 30 and 45cm) was measured in continuum from August 2020. One pilot (WC) included a well-established green cover (GC), a new GC (NC) and a conventional soil management (CM, tilling+herbicides). NC presented an intermediate state between WC and CM, responding similarly to CM in autumn but quickly reaching similar SWC to WC, then following the same evolution till next spring, with CM presenting lower values along autumn and winter. Then vegetation activation decreased SWC in all plots, (much slower in CM, lacking GC). Sensibility to spring rains is again intermediate for NC, which joins SWC evolution of CM by the end of spring till next autumn. It is expected that NC will resemble WC more and more as its GC develops. In the pilot combining vine training (VSP vs Gobelet) and hillside management (slope vs terrace), no clear pattern could be related with these conditions. However, both terraces seem to be more sensitive to spring rains. A third pilot included new vineyards (7 and 1 year old). In the new vineyard (N), higher canopy development, a spontaneous green cover and row straw resulted in a slower SWC dynamic, not so sensitive to rains but conserving more soil water in spring and most of summer, even with presumably a higher water extraction by vines. In the newest vineyard (VN) the deepest sensor is still sensitive to rain events all over the year and SWC is always highest at this depth, revealing small water capture by vines.

Bioclimatic shifts and land use options for Viticulture in Portugal

Land use, plays a relevant role in the climatic system. It endows means for agriculture practices thus contributing to the food supply. Since climate and land are closely intertwined through multiple interface processes, climate change may lead to significant impacts in land use. In this study, 1-km observational gridded datasets are used to assess changes in the Köppen–Geiger and Worldwide Bioclimatic (WBCS)

Climate, Viticulture, and Wine … my how things have changed!

The planet is warmer than at any time in our recorded past and increasing greenhouse emissions and persistence in the climate system means that continued warming is highly likely. Climate change has already altered the basic framework of growing grapes for wine production worldwide and will likely continue to do so for years to come. The wine sector can continue to play an important role in leading the agricultural sector in addressing climate change. From developing on…