Terroir 2020 banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 International Terroir Conferences 9 Terroir 2020 9 History and innovation of terroir 9 Can the satellite image resolution be improved to support precision agriculture in the vineyard through vegetation indices?

Can the satellite image resolution be improved to support precision agriculture in the vineyard through vegetation indices?

Abstract

Aim: This study aims to show the application of a new methodological approach to improve the resolution of Sentinel-2A images and derived vegetation indices through the results from different vineyards. 

Methods and Results: A multiscale fully-connected Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) was constructed and applied for the pan-sharpening of Sentinel-2A images by high resolution UAS-based orthophoto. The reconstructed data was validated by independent high resolution multispectral UAS-based imagery and in-situ spectral measurements. The reconstructed Sentinel-2A images provided a temporal evaluation of plant responses to environmental factors using selected vegetation indices. The proposed methodology has been applied on different vineyards in southern Italy. Here, the outputs of CNN were compared with morpho-physiological data, both collected in-vivo and reconstructed through the retrospective analysis of vine trunk wood (tree-rings). The functional anatomical traits and isotopic signals were measured and used to derive indices such as water use efficiency. The obtained results showed a valuable agreement between the vegetation indices derived from reconstructed Sentinel-2A data and plant hydraulic traits obtained from tree-ring based reconstruction of vine eco-physiological behavior.

Conclusions: 

The multiscale CNN architecture for remote sensing imagery pan-sharpening and reconstruction can overcome the constraints in use of satellite images in precision agriculture, by creating new fused data valid for applications that could not be supported by the original Sentinel multispectral or UVS data. The validation of such an approach on different and real vineyard systems, with data collected in-vivo and through retrospective analyses on tree-ring chronologies has shown great potential to extend the approach to other woody crop systems. 

Significance and Impact of the Study: The integration between knowledge from different scientific domains represents a powerful approach to support the farmer in the field management and, at the same time, a valuable opportunity to study the plant adaptation to variable pedo-climatic conditions. This represents the base for understanding the vine adaptive capability and planning the actions for vineyard management under different climatic scenarios. Finally, emerging CNN methodologies can be implemented in DSS to support real-time monitoring of several parameters related to plant health status, to better follow plant growth in the field and evaluate its performance under changing environmental conditions.

DOI:

Publication date: March 23, 2021

Issue: Terroir 2020

Type: Video

Authors

A. Bonfante1*, A. Brook2, G. Battipaglia3, A. Erbaggio4, M. Buonanno1, E. Monaco1, C. Cirillo5, V. De Micco5

1Institute for Mediterranean Agricultural and Forest Systems -CNR-ISAFOM, National Research Council, Ercolano-NA, Italy
2Spectroscopy & Remote Sensing Laboratory, Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel, Israel
3Department of Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, University of Campania “L. Vanvitelli”, Caserta, Italy
4Freelance
5Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Portici – NA, Italy

Contact the author

Keywords

Precision agriculture, satellite image resolution, CNN, grapevine hydraulics, KTB group approach

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Terroir 2020

Citation

Related articles…

Local adaptation tools to ensure the viticultural sustainability in a changing climate

[lwp_divi_breadcrumbs home_text="IVES" use_before_icon="on" before_icon="||divi||400" module_id="publication-ariane" _builder_version="4.19.4" _module_preset="default" module_text_align="center" module_font_size="16px" text_orientation="center"...

Modeling island and coastal vineyards potential in the context of climate change

Climate change impacts regional and local climates, which in turn affects the world’s wine regions. In the short term, these modifications rises issues about maintaining quality and style of wine, and in a longer term about the suitability of grape varieties and the sustainability of traditional wine regions. Thus, adaptation to climate change represents a major challenge for viticulture. In this context, island and coastal vineyards could become coveted areas due to their specific climatic conditions. In regions subject to warming, the proximity of the sea can moderate extremes temperatures, which could be an advantage for wine. However, coastal and island areas are particular prized spaces and subject to multiple pressures that make the establishment or extension of viticulture complex.
In this perspective, it seems relevant to assess the potentialities of coastal and island areas for viticulture. This contribution will present a spatial optimization model that tends to characterize most suitable agroclimatic patterns in historical or emerging vineyards according to different scenarios. Thanks to an in-depth bibliography a global inventory of coastal and insular vineyards on a worldwide scale has been realized. Relevant criteria have been identified to describe the specificities of these vineyards. They are used as input data in the optimization process, which will optimize some objectives and spatial aspects. According to a predefined scenario, the objectives are set in three main categories associated with climatic characteristics, vineyards characteristics and management strategies. At the end of this optimization process, a series of maps presents the different spatial configurations that maximize the scenario objectives.

How can historical cultivars mitigate the effects of climate change?

IFV, INRAe and the national network “Partenaires de la Sélection Vigne” representing 37 organizations from the different wine regions, have been working increasingly closely over the last 2 decades towards the preservation of the French varietal patrimony. There are approximately 600 patrimonial varieties according to INRAe and SupAgro Montpellier experts, including ancient cultivars (400) and intravarietal crossbreeds obtained since the 19th century. In the context of a drastic reduction in such varieties from the mid 1980’s in favor of mainstream varieties, it was essential to carry out an inventory of old vines and vineyards. INRAe Vassal collection plays a key role here as it holds the largest diversity available, along with a rich bibliography and herbariums, offering us the opportunity to document and double check the identity of a cultivar, consolidating the expertise of ampelographers. The work is carried out in several stages, from verifying the existence of a variety in a small region, through to rehabilitation. During this session, the authors present the process that leads to the official registration of a variety. After this, IFV selection center takes over to initiate the process of selection and propagation. A specific focus within regions such as the Alps, Champagne and the South-West will provide details of the full procedure. Bia, Bouysselet, Chardonnay rose, Mecle and the aptly named Tardif, are some of the cultivars that have followed this procedure. Furthermore, a recent regulation established by INAO on “varieties of interest for adaptation purposes” might boost uptake by growers. Since 2006, 36 historical cultivars have been registered. Most of these have been neglected in the past due to late maturity, lack of sugar and high titratable acidity at harvest time. Such characteristics are today considered as positive qualities, not only in mitigation of the effects of climate change, but also as an opportunity for restoring diversity…

Climate change impacts: a multi-stress issue

With the aim of producing premium wines, it is admitted that moderate environmental stresses may contribute to the accumulation of compounds of interest in grapes. However the ongoing climate change, with the appearance of more limiting conditions of production is a major concern for the wine industry economic. Will it be possible to maintain the vineyards in place, to preserve the current grape varieties and how should we anticipate the adaptation measures to ensure the sustainability of vineyards? In this context, the question of the responses and adaptation of grapevine to abiotic stresses becomes a major scientific issue to tackle. An abiotic stress can be defined as the effect of a specific factor of the physico-chemical environment of the plants (temperature, availability of water and minerals, light, etc.) which reduces growth, and for a crop such as the vine, the yield, the composition of the fruits and the sustainability of the plants. Water stress is in many minds, but a systemic vision is essential for at least two reasons. The first reason is that in natural environments, a single factor is rarely limiting, and plants have to deal with a combination of constraints, as for example heat and drought, both in time and at a given time. The second reason is that plants, including grapevine, have central mechanisms of stress responses, as redox regulatory pathways, that play an important role in adaptation and survival. Here we will review the most recent studies dealing with this issue to provide a better understanding of the grapevine responses to a combination of environmental constraints and of the underlying regulatory pathways, which may be very helpful to design more adapted solutions to cope with climate change.

Analysis of some environmental factors and cultural practices that affect the production and quality of the Manto Negro, Callet and Prensal Blanc varieties

45 non irrigated vineyards distributed in the DO (Denomination) Pla i Llevant de Mallorca and the DO Binissalem Mallorca were used to investigate the characteristics of production and quality and their relationships certain environmental factors and cultural practices. The grape varieties investigated are autochthonous to the island of Mallorca, Manto Negro and Callet as red and Prensal Blanc as white. All plants were measured for four consecutive years in the main production and quality parameters. Among the environmental factors, the type of soil has been studied, more specifically its water retention capacity, the planting density, the age of the vineyard and the level of viral infection. The presence or absence of virus seems to have no effect on any component studied in the varieties studied. For the white variety Prensal Blanc age is negatively correlated with production and the number of bunches, nevertheless it does not cause any effect on the required quality parameters. However, for the red varieties Callet and Manto Negro, the age of the plantation is the variable that best correlates with the quality parameters, therefore the old vines should be the object of preservation by the viticulturists and winemakers in order to guarantee its contribution to the quality of the wines made with these varieties.