Macrowine 2021

Smartphone application use as a tool for water supply management

Abstract

Uruguay had an average annual rainfall of 1200 mm characterized by a high monthly variability, which generates periods of water deficit and excess. The rational water management, in the moments of deficit becomes more and more necessary in a viticulture that for this region is not used to irrigation. Therefore, permanent and real-time monitoring of the water status of the vineyard is important to avoid negative consequences on the yield and composition of the grapes. The availability of numerous smartphone applications allows the winegrower to use his own Smartphone as a tool for monitoring the vineyard. The objective of this work was to provide a reasonable water supply to the vineyard using digital tools that facilitate the management of the vineyard at a productive level. The experiment was carried out in a commercial vineyard of the red variety Tannat during the 2020 season. An irrigation treatment (70% ETP) was compared with a control without irrigation. Leaf water potential, leaf area, yield, grape composition (acidity, sugars, anthocyanins) were determined. The used smartphone applications were Viticanopy and ApexVigne. The data provided by the apps were correlated with the variables obtained in the field. It was possible to estimate the evolution of Kc in a quick and simple way, which allowed to made adjustments of the irrigation dose almost in real-time. During the season, 140 mm of water were applied leading to an enhancement in the response of the plant. The yield was increased by 35% while sugar and phenolic compounds concentrations were improved in the grape in comparison with the control sample. The use of smartphone applications proven to be a useful tool for the winegrower to manage the use of water resources.

DOI:

Publication date: September 2, 2021

Issue: Macrowine 2021

Type: Article

Authors

Gustavo Pereyra, Bruno Tisseyre, Milka FERRER

Biochemistry Laboratory, Department of Plant Biology, Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de la República, Av. E. Garzón 780, CP 12900 Montevideo, Uruguay,

ITAP, Univ. of Montpellier, Institut Agro Montpellier, INRAE, Montpellier, France

Plant Production Department Universidad de la República, Av. E. Garzón 780, CP 12900 Montevideo, Uruguay

Contact the author

Keywords

water management; canopy vigor; lai; smartphone; precision viticulture; Vitis vinifera

Citation

Related articles…

Microbial life in the grapevine: what can we expect from the leaf microbiome?

The above-ground parts of plants, which constitute the phyllosphere, have long been considered devoid of bacteria and fungi, at least in their internal tissues and microbial presence there was long considered a sign of disease. However, recent studies have shown that plants harbour complex bacterial communities, the so-called “microbiome”[1]. We are only beginning to unravel the origin of these bacterial plant inhabitants, their community structure and their roles, which in analogy to the gut microbiome, are likely to be of essential nature. Among their multifaceted metabolic possibilities, bacteria have been recently demonstrated to emit a wide range of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which can greatly impact the growth and development of both the plant and its disease-causing agents.

New ways of grape pomaces valorization: production of functional beverages or nutraceuticals

The wine industry generates each year 20 million tons of by-products. Among them grape pomaces represent a big part that can be considered as a source of potentially bioactive molecules such as polyphenols. Kombucha fermentation is an ancestral process which allow to increase the biological properties of tea by the action of a microbial consortium formed by yeasts and bacteria called scoby.

Aroma composition of mono-varietal white wines for the production of Custoza

AIM: The appellation “Bianco di Custoza” or “Custoza”, born in 1971, is one of the oldest white wines Protected Designation of Origin in Italy.

Metabolomics screening of Vitis sp. interspecific hybrids to select natural ingredients with cosmetic purposes

Introducing natural ingredients using green chemistry practices is a major challenge in cosmetics industry to follow the market trend. Among the plants of cosmetic interest, vine products show a remarkable diversity of natural substances with high potential for the cosmetic and dermatological sectors. To date, research focuses on well-known compounds like E-resveratrol and E-ε-viniferin,

Geostatistical analysis of the vineyards in the canton of Geneva in relation to soil and climate

Soil and climate maps at the 1:10000 scales exist for more than 12’000 ha of Swiss vineyards. The use of these maps as consulting tools for growers remains difficult due to the complexity