terclim by ICS banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 High-resolution aerial thermography for water stress estimation in grapevines

High-resolution aerial thermography for water stress estimation in grapevines

Abstract

Aerial thermography has emerged as a promising tool for water stress detection in grapevines, but there are still challenges associated with this technology, particularly concerning the methodology employed to extract reliable canopy temperature values. This consideration is relevant especially in vertically trained vineyards, due to the presence of multiple surfaces which are captured by drone thermal cameras with high-resolution. To test the technology and the data analysis required, a field study was conducted during the 2022-2023 season in a model vineyard with multiple scions-rootstock combinations trained on a vertical shoot-positioning (VSP) system. Additionally, three irrigation regimes were implemented to introduce variability in water stress levels. A commercial Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) equipped with an integrated RGB, and thermal camera was used to capture high-resolution aerial images over the vineyard. Eight different pixel extraction methods, considering classical and novel approaches, were tested against manual pixel extraction to determine which method performed the best. From the methods tested, the two Gaussian mixture models (GMM2) showed the best performance in terms of accuracy and precision. The average canopy temperature obtained by this method was contrasted with stem water potential measurements, showing significant differences between well-watered and dryland treatments. Aerial thermography complemented by the GMM2 method shows great potential as a tool for water stress estimation in grapevines, however, several factors play a role in method performance. These include the degree of stress in the vineyard, amount of cover crops, and canopy density amongst others. Suggestions regarding the critical aspects that need to be evaluated further to optimize the methodology and reduce the uncertainties associated to the application of this technology will be discussed in context of the results obtained.

DOI:

Publication date: June 14, 2024

Issue: Open GPB 2024

Type: Article

Authors

Carlos Poblete-Echeverria1*, Thomas Chalmers1, Melane A. Vivier1

1 South African Grape and Wine Research Institute (SAGWRI), Faculty of AgriSciences, Stellenbosch University, Matieland 7602, South Africa

Contact the author*

Keywords

Precision viticulture, Water management, Digital analysis, Pixel extraction methods, Thermal imagery

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Open GPB | Open GPB 2024

Citation

Related articles…

L’essor des produits “No-Low” : nouveaux défis pour l’étiquetage et la réglementation

In recent years, “no-low” products seem to become a new worldwide trend. It appears to be a possible answer to the well-known context of climate change, the decline in wine consumption, and the wellness/health trend (“free from” claims, vegan, and so on…) That consumers are looking for. The aim of this study is to provide an overview of the “no-low” products sold in the french market (but not only french products), focusing on the labelling, packaging, and sales presentation of these products.

Drought responses of grapevine cultivars under different environments

Using grapevine genetic diversity is one of the strategies to adapt viticulture to climate change. In this sense, assessing the plasticity of cultivars in their responses to environmental conditions is essential. For this purpose, the drought tolerance of Grenache, Tempranillo and Semillon cultivars grafted onto SO4 was evaluated at two experimental vineyards, one located in Valencia (Spain) and the other in Bordeaux (France). This was done by assessing gas exchange parameters, water relations and leaf hydraulic traits at the end of the season.

Towards a relationship between institutional clonal selection, mass selection and private clonal selection of grapevine cultivars

Each grape cultivar is composed of a population of individuals that are genetically different. Clonal selection has allowed the purification and improvement of the global quality

Use of computational modelling for selecting adsorbents for improved fining of wine

The occurrence of faults and taints in wine, such as those caused by microbial spoilage or various taints, have resulted in significant financial losses to wine producers. The wine industry commits significant financial resources towards fining and taint removal processes each year. Fining involves the addition of one or more adsorptive substrates to juice or wine to bind certain components, thus reducing their concentration [1]. However, these processes are often not selective and can also remove desirable flavour and aroma compounds.

Colloidal stabilization of young red wine by Acacia Senegal gum: the major implication of protein-rich arabinogalactan-proteins

Acacia senegal gum (Asen) is an edible dried gummy exudate [1] added in young red wines to ensure their colloidal stability, precluding the precipitation of the coloring matter. Asen macromolecules, belonging to the arabinogalactan-protein (AGP) family [2], are hyperbranched, charged and amphiphilic heteropolysaccharides composed especially of sugars (92-96 %) and a small fraction of proteins (1-3 %). Asen is defined as a continuum of macromolecules that could be separated into three fractions by hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC) [3-4]. HIC-F1 (85-94 % of Asen), HIC-F2 (6-18 % of Asen) and HIC-F3 (1-3 % of Asen) are named and classified in that order according to their protein content, and then a growing hydrophobicity. The efficiency of Asen towards the coloring matter instability is evaluated according to an “efficacy test” that consists to determine the Asen quantity required to prevent the flocculation by calcium of a colloidal iron hexacyanoferrate solution (International Oenological Codex).