Use of satellite in precision viticulture: the Franciacorta experience

Today, the concept of precision vine management (or site-specific viticulture) has a great relevance. It is based on the practice of a different management in relation to the different features of the crop site. In this way, all practices should be adapted to the land spatial variability and should be linked to the real needs of vines. Some guiding lines were drawn in order to find systems, based on a remote sensing one, that could lead to an evaluation of vine adaptative responses to different conditions of cultivation, and give some marks on a different management of vineyards. In 2005, some high-resolution relieves were made by satellite (IKONOS) on a surface of about 500 hectare of vineyards located in Franciacorta (Northern Italy). Two different kinds of images were used: a first one coloured in the visible spectrum and another one in the near infra-red. These images were processed by suitable algorhythms and they were related to productive data (from a quantity and quality point of view) taken from 24 Chardonnay vineyards. These vineyards were representative of the different Franciacorta conditions; these fields belonged to different suitability units, which were identified by a zoning study made in 1997. The statistical data processing allowed to find some significant relationships between data provided by satellite and data surveyed from the surface.