Page 51 - Grapevine SeptOct 2021

Around The Vineyard

research advances, PV should become increasingly
accessible to the average grape grower. To dig into
how this might look, let’s start with some of the
most promising applications of PV:

How is Precision Viticulture
Being Used Today?

Today, researchers, consultants and farmers use
app-based mapping software to create maps of
important crop traits like soil qualities, yield, pest
pressure, and plant health. Here are seven emerg-
ing or “future” applications that the symposium
speakers highlighted for vineyards specifically:

Vine Vigor: Mapping vine vigor is one of the more
basic uses of PV but does require access to drone
or satellite imagery. Several companies offer drone
and satellite imagery services for the ag sector.

Growers can use vine vigor maps to identify prob-
lem areas and improve canopy management.

Variable Rate Fertilizer & Pesticides: I have yet
to meet a grape grower who thoroughly enjoys
spraying. Growers could use nutrient and pest
maps to apply only what is needed, and to vary
what is applied across the vineyard based on need.
This could be achieved by mapping vine vigor, soil
qualities, foliar nutrient concentrations, and weed
populations, among other things.

Mapping soil and foliar nutrient data is one appli-
cation I would recommend for growers who want
to dip their toes into PV - it is relatively easy to
collect that data, and many of us do already. I talk
later about app-based platforms you can use to
plot data.

Early Pest Detection: Dr. Katie Gold, Assistant
Professor of Grape Pathology at Cornell University,
is using hyperspectral imaging to detect locations
of key pests early so growers can target them more
efficiently and effectively.

Dr. Gold leads a study that uses NASA’s AVIRIS
satellite imagery to detect early signs of grapevine
leafroll virus in California vineyards. She hopes this
technology becomes accessible to growers and

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