Chapter 34

Precision Viticulture

(book excerpts)

Precision viticulture (PV), or site specific crop management (SSCM), is an integrated informationand production-based production system that is designed to increase long term, site-specific and whole vineyard production efficiency, productivity, and profitability while minimizing unintended impacts on the environment. Vineyards are typically managed uniformly over space, although known spatial variation exists in the performance of vines within and across vineyard blocks due to differences in topography, soil properties, plant health and vigor, microclimate, and management practices. Precision viticulture is a promising management tool that can enable the development of an agricultural system to effectively manage vineyards to account for this variability. The technological tools often used in precision viticulture include global positioning systems (GPS), remote sensing (RS), geographical information systems (GIS), and variable rate application (VRA). The GPS is a satellite constellation used to geo-reference spatially referenced vineyard data (e.g., soil samples, yields, etc.), or some other grapevine management practice within the vineyard block. Remote sensing refers to capture of digital imagery of the Earth’s surface by aircraft and satellite. Geographical information systems enables the convenient capture, storage, manipulation, and management of spatially aligned, geographic data layers. Variable rate application describes any technology, which enables growers to vary the rate of inputs.

Click on the following topics for more information on precision viticulture.

Topics Within This Chapter:

  • Global Positioning System
  • Differential Correction
  • Coordinate Systems
  • Remote Sensing
  • Remote Sensing Platforms
  • Satellite Remote Sensing
  • Aircraft Remote Sensing
  • Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Sensing
  • Ground-Based or Proximal Sensing
  • The Electromagnetic Spectrum
  • Vegetation Indices
  • Normalized Difference Vegetation Index
  • Plant Cell Density or Ratio Vegetation Index
  • Image Resolution
  • Spatial Resolution
  • Spectral Resolution
  • Temporal Resolution
  • Radiometric Resolution
  • Converting Remote Sensing Data into Geospatial Data
  • Geometric Correction
  • Photogrammetry Correction
  • Radiometric Correction
  • Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
  • Advantages and Disadvantages
  • Types of Drones
  • Fixed Wing
  • Multi-Rotor
  • Sensors
  • RGB Sensors
  • Multispectral Sensors
  • Hyperspectral Sensors
  • LiDAR Sensors
  • Thermal Infrared Sensors
  • Web-Based Service Providers
  • Regulation by Federal Aviation Administration
  • Geographical Information System
  • Components of Geographical Information System
  • Software
  • Hardware
  • Data
  • Functions of Geographical Information System
  • Input
  • Manipulation
  • Management
  • Query
  • Analysis
  • Data Output
  • Variable-Rate Application Technology
  • Variable-Rate Application Technologies
  • Map-Based Variable-Rate Application
  • Sensor-Based Variable-Rate Application
  • Precision Viticulture Applications
  • Canopy and Vigor Monitoring
  • Crop Load Management
  • Berry Quality Sampling
  • Harvest Planning
  • Disease Management
  • Vineyard Design
  • Planting Vines
  • Weed Control
  • Yield Monitoring
  • Ground-Based Crop Monitoring
  • Irrigation Scheduling
  • Fertilization of Grapevines
  • Wireless Sensor Network
  • Weather Monitoring
  • Disease Control
  • Irrigation Scheduling
  • Selected References