Introduction
Viticulture, the study and practice of the cultivation, protection, and harvest of grapes has experienced one of the highest growths among agricultural commodities in terms of acreage and value over the past 30 years and at present a global multibillion dollar enterprise.
The factors such as increased international trade, improved global incomes, changing policies, technological innovations like precision technologies in production, storage, and transportation, by-product processing and utilization leading to development of novel and healthy products, and greater awareness of the health benefits of foods rich in antioxidants like grapes has resulted in an increased growth of this enterprise globally.
What is Precision Viticulture?
It is one of the more significant and recent conceptual developments in viticulture is precision viticulture. The principle of precision viticulture is the same as that of precision agriculture where each vine is treated individually, being attentive to the needs of the plant and satisfying these needs at the exact moment is the main requirement. It is based on combining technical advances in global positioning system (GPS), onsite and aerial measurements of local microclimatic conditions, details of vineyard water and nutrient status, with measurements of several vine physiological parameters, collected data can occasionally be correlated down to the level of individual vines and their topographic details. As the cost and ease of data collection and interpretation decline, growers will increasingly be able to incorporate corrective action in the vineyard on a timely basis which helps in attaining greater vineyard and grape uniformity. Devices such as sensors and drones provide vineyard owners insights related to plant/crop health based on the data collected, which, in turn, helps owners to take preventive steps for optimum growth of the produce. Various types of sensors such as temperature sensors, humidity sensors, and soil sensors, among others help vineyard owners to collect data that is critical to the quality of the grapes.
Precision viticulture management
The first step is the tracking of the vineyard with a GPS guide. Having a vineyard tracked with satellite guidance serves to geolocate each plant. The vineyard with the automatic guidance systems typical of precision viticulture makes work easier.
After planting, each phase of vineyard management carried out more easily, according to the principles of precision agriculture.
Precision farming make provision for the ability to provide a dose of fertilizer based on the conditions of each individual plant and in accordance with the goals, the winegrower wants to achieve.
The starting point is to understand how much to fertilize, this is based on a prescription map (or vigor map): a map that relates the condition of the plant with the amount of fertilizer it needs.
With precision viticulture, the defense of a vineyard becomes interconnected and digital. One of the most valuable options already available to wine producers to defend their vines is the Decision Support System (DSS).
These systems collect, organize, and integrate information about the weather and the various components of the vineyard and combining the data and help the winemaker to prevent diseases and pests in a possible best way.
Precision in wine making
Enology is the science dealing with wine and winemaking, including the fermentation of grapes into wine, which is mostly confined to the indoors. A vineyard is a plantation of grape-bearing vines grown for winemaking, raisins, table grapes, and non-alcoholic grape juice and ability to adjust vineyard conditions during each season may provide a new means of enhancing grape (and wine) quality, even where conditions cannot be adequately adjusted to achieve across vineyard grape uniformity, precision viticulture can identify sections that are comparatively similar. Selectively harvesting small, uniform plots is made possible. This can be done either by arranging the harvest date to conform to predetermined fruit quality, or by physical separation at harvest of the collected fruit, based on location. This option is now facilitated by GPS-directed movement of mechanical harvesters throughout the vineyard. Precision viticulture may also permit growers better options to offset some of the disruption being caused by climate change. Thus, helping to make better grapes and therefore, make better wine.
Precision viticulture over conventional viticulture
The global precision viticulture market size was valued at USD 1.27 billion in 2019 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.2% from 2020 to 2027.
Precision viticulture aids in increasing the output of the vineyard by providing enhanced monitoring and control of the area under cultivation in comparison to the conventional viticulture where the chances of reduction of market value of grapes due to various climatic hazards and other management constraints is higher.
By helping the winery to produce better grapes and therefore, make better wines, precision viticulture allows producers to position themselves on premium markets and to also approach a varied clientele.
The use of variable rate of fertilization and the defense of precision and vigor maps, production costs reduction and elimination of waste is a significant benefit.
Achieving these goals becomes easier with the practice of precision viticulture, which, through the creation of specific maps, creates all the conditions necessary for a differentiated harvest.