VINTAGE

"A user friendly Decision Support System for an integrated vineyard management, for addressing quality and quantity production variability optimising the use of resources"

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'The objective of this project is to offer to the SMEs Associations the first integrated management solution for supporting vine growers throughout vineyard life cycle, from planting to harvesting, aiming at addressing quality and production variability issues by means of an advanced Decision Support System (DSS). This DSS will be based on the output of well established and consolidated models applied to viticulture, and will assist the users in day to day management procedures, thanks to a user friendly web interface, assessing for instance the unique watering needs of each single parcel, controlling the growth phase of the grape, along with its vigour and maturity, optimizing at the same time the usage of fertilizers and parasiticides and limiting operators intervention on the soil and on the plant. With the application of information technologies it will be possible to fine tune wine production within the vineyard, maximising the oenological potential of the vineyards, and providing the vine-growers with the following, continuously up to date information: 1)Indication on the type of grape to be grown in the vineyard, being able to differentiate the production in case several zones of the vineyard present different agronomical features; 2)Indication of the ripeness of the grapes; 3) Real time indication, through micro-meteorological stations, of the soil properties, weather forecasts, and other parameters (fertilizing, irrigation, etc.)that can influence both yield but most importantly quality of the harvesting. 4) Indication of soil variability, which is one of the key factors that can affect vine growth fruit development, quality and yield; 5) indications of the zone at risk of fungi or parasites attack; 6) understanding and managing the dynamics of soil, water and phenological stages.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

A proposed online support system for wine growers is slated to help European winemakers optimise production and conserve their leadership on the world stage.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

Winemaking is a cornerstone of European gastronomy, contributing significantly to the continent's economy in Germany, Greece, Spain, France, Italy and Portugal. Against this backdrop, managing vineyards has become very important in ensuring the profitability and robustness of the sector. This holds particularly true in light of competition from emerging wine markets such as Australia, South Africa and South America.

The EU-funded project http://www.vintage-project.eu (VINTAGE) is addressing this challenge. To combat the idea that European wines are more expensive, it is working on supporting wine producers through precision viticulture technologies supported by remote and local automated monitoring.

Backed by four national and regional European wine associations, the project is developing a cost-efficient and user-friendly integrated management solution. The web-based system would streamline the vineyard life cycle from planting to harvesting, improving productivity and optimising the use of resources such as water use, pesticides and manpower.

VINTAGE is also working on minimising the effect of seasonal variability with the support of information technology and providing winemakers with cutting-edge knowledge to manage vineyards. Importantly, the decision support system complements time-tested growing practices and traditions with high-tech sensors and data, air, plant and soil monitoring, and computer simulations such as for watering and spraying, pruning, grape thinning, and so on.

This helps determine in real-time the ripeness and quality of grapes, and risk areas from parasites or fungi, providing valuable information on likely harvest yield and quality. It enables growers to understand and manage phenological stages, water content and disease dynamics.

Already, the project team has made significant progress in articulating user requirements of the system and application scenarios. It developed and deployed the necessary wireless monitoring stations for weather, crop, hydrological and soil data, in addition to testing the system in pilot sites. Through the different national winemaking associations involved in the project, the European wine sector is expected to have a better chance at asserting its primacy on the global market.