Page 45 - Grapevine March-April 2020
P. 45
Around The Vineyard
Rawn adds that it is important to know what is
happening in real-time through consistent monitor-
ing, especially when it comes to checking moisture
levels in the soil. Two Mountain Winery checks soil
conditions through a five-minute communication
cycle using soil moisture monitoring probes.
Professional Certificates
“Knowing the actual soil moisture relative helps Delivered via Distance Education
us achieve quality objectives and reduce irrigation Viticulture • Winemaking
applications,” Rawn says. “Additionally, we can
more efficiently focus our irrigation labor budget “Program combines
on areas the sensors communicate are out of our the theoretical with the
parameters. I have a much clearer understanding practical aspects - real
of our soil variations and how to more precisely world solutions. I can’t
deploy irrigation resources since we first deployed recommend it strongly
the sensors.” enough for either a fu-
ture or current grower.”
Rawn says Two Mountain Winery uses a system James Kasparek
supplied by the Wilbur Ellis Company, a century-old Class of 2018
global leader in agriculture technology, which has
some 30 vineyards on its client roster through- 806‐834‐1627
out California, Oregon and Washington state. Its
most popular products are its electronic probes grapesandwine.ttu.edu
and telemetry, both of which are run through the
Wilbur Ellis Probe Schedule dashboard. The compa-
ny attributes the popularity of the Probe Schedule
to its ease of use, noting that vineyards can, at a “This simple, affordable device connects to an exist-
glance, make water management decisions, quickly ing drip emitter on one end, while the other end of
and easily. The Probe Scheduler has an open API to it inserts vertically into the ground for water and
share data easily. fertilizer delivery directly to the root zone,” he says.
“The information is easy to digest and read and Globally, the viticulture industry is using new
has good ETC modeling and water budgeting tools,” technologies to improve vineyard irrigation in
Rawn says. “We purchased [it] as a service, which regions all over the world, particularly in areas
we prefer. We are not responsible for maintaining where climate and soil conditions are not optimal.
the equipment or software upgrades. We rarely At the same time, vineyards are mindful of water
experience downtime, but not spending time trou- conservation, if for no other reason than to hold
bleshooting sensor problems when they arise is a down costs and, in the case of drier climates, avoid
big plus.” over-consumption. The trend toward drip systems,
combined with technology designed to provide
On a smaller scale, there are other companies instant data on water management in vineyards,
with innovations on the market touting significant helps to contribute toward containing energy costs,
results, such as California’s Deep Root Irrigation, as well as preserving water, thus keeping vineyards
which invented an independently tested, patent- ever mindful of the invaluable natural resource that
ed technology designed to curb water waste and is water.
maximize plant growth. Company owner Jeremiah
Ciudaj tells The Grapevine Magazine that the DRI
system is groundbreaking, in part, because it deliv-
ers water and nutrients directly to the plant root.
877-892-5332 The Grapevine • March-April 2020 Page 43
Grapevine Main Pages GV010220_Layout 1-1 .indd 43 2/19/20 4:12 PM
