Three proximal sensors to estimate texture, skeleton and soil water storage in vineyards

The conceptual image of a wine related to the terroir has consequences in technical terms. Among factors affecting the typicality, producers put forward the environmental factors of the terroir system

A good knowledge of the soil physicochemical properties, as well as its ability to retain and put the necessary water available to the plants, is essential when it comes at the design of an irrigation plan.

Secondary (or specialised) metabolites such as terpenes and phenolic compounds are produced by plants for various roles which include defence against pathogens and herbivores, protection against abiotic stress, and plant signalling. Additionally, these metabolites influence grapevine quality traits such as colour, aroma, taste, and nutritional value. However, the biosynthesis of these metabolites is often complex and controlled by multiple genes which in grapevine are predominantly uncharacterised.

There is a high demand in the wine industry for analytical methods able to provide useful information to support the decision-making process in the vineyard and in the winery. Ideally these methods should be rapid (e.g.

A study was conducted in the Vipava Valley (Slovenia) to understand the effects of positioning rows of Merlot (Vitis vinifera L.) vines on terraces on plant available water, yield, and grape composition