Hyperspectral imaging and machine learning for monitoring grapevine physiology

Anticipation in the possible responses of grapevines to environmental variations is key to adjust field work in view of a more effective management. This idea has been the driving force behind the current work, which seeks to understand the interaction patterns of the vine with its habitat throughout the growing cycle.

The environmental biodiversity is important to guarantee essential services to the living communities, its richness is a symptom of a minor disturbance and improves he environment biological quality.

Conventional viticulture improved the quality of production, but the economic costs can be unsustainable. Today, producers need to consider consumers’ demands for healthy, eco-friendly products. Institutions promote sustainable agriculture, with regenerative agriculture being the latest generation of methodologies focused on recovering losses and ensuring future sustainability. The revine project studies regenerative agricultural technology applied in mediterranean countries to provide precise indications for soil processing and effective vineyard treatments.

It is well known that lactic acid bacteria modify the wine volatile compound. However, very few data are available regarding metabolite changes that occurred during the malolactic fermentation (MLF).

By the end of this century, up to 90% of traditional viticulture regions in the Mediterranean, including Sicily, are projected to face extinction due to escalating climate challenges such as severe droughts, heatwaves, and unseasonal rains.