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.