Page 50 - Grapevine SeptOct 2021
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Around The Vineyard


                                                                                 For example, a trained grower or advi-
                                                                               sor can create a vineyard map showing
                                                                               spatial variation in vine health, identify-
                                                                               ing low-performing areas that need extra
                                                                               attention and cutting costs on areas that
                                                                               need less help.


                                                                                 Simple maps can be created by plot-
                                                                               ting data that the grower collects on the
                                                                               ground, like from soil samples. In more
                                                                               advanced applications, maps incorporate
                                                                               data collected by satellites, drones, or
                                                                               sensors mounted to tractors and har-
                                                                               vesters.


                                                                                 Research on PV has come a long way
                                                                               since the first juice grape yield maps
                                                                               of the 1990s. Still, it has a long way to
                                                                               go. Grape growers are just now starting
                                                                               to adopt precision agriculture, which is
                 So instead of managing an entire vineyard the                 already widely used in row crops like
               same way, what if a grape grower could cater their                    corn and soy.
               management to the needs of each part of the vine-
               yard? This is called “precision viticulture (PV).”     The symposium speakers expressed that as the














































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