EIP Project: Viticulture

Project duration: 12. 12.2023-13.12.2024.

Purpose and objectives

Many winegrowers are lagging behind in developing new grape production systems, which are necessary for adaptation to climate change and also in terms of adapting to the needs of the green EU policy, either to obtain eligibility for support or for the needs of more competitive marketing. The aim of the project is to demonstrate the feasibility of an alternative digitalization-supported concept of grape production in vineyards at several locations across Slovenia, with the aim of increasing the ecological and economic efficiency of production. We want to demonstrate a new concept of fallow care (using various machine alternative techniques) between rows and the strip under the vines, which can enable the cessation of the use of herbicides, lower machine hours and fuel consumption, increase biodiversity, increase C sequestration, reduce erosion and improve soil properties. Monitoring will be implemented through low-cost smart sensor measuring stations (IoT technologies), through which we will be able to more accurately assess various factors that affect the growth and success of the vine on individual farms. We want to show the difference in economic (cost/benefit) and environmental indicators (life cycle) between the classic and alternative 0.0-residue production concept. We want to prove that with modern spraying application technology and a new protection concept, we can reduce the consumption of FFS by at least 50 % and reduce the concentration of FFS residues in wine by at least 70 %. Through modern IoT technologies, we will enable remote detection of the consumption of spray slurry doses, savings of spray slurry according to the actual treated leaf mass density and reduction of FFS consumption. IoT technologies will enable the exchange of parameters/data via fast routers for mobile internet. Through internet content (information in the form of parameters/data), the agricultural economy will be able to immediately access.

Results

The project will deliver several types of results. First, we will enable the development of a new concept of managed fallow between rows and under vines, which is suitable for both integrated and organic production. Winegrowers will be able to see the new concept in nature and will also receive data on ecological and economic indicators. They will be able to observe the development of plant communities in demonstration vineyards for several years and continuously monitor which mechanical tools are suitable for minimal soil tillage in vineyards. The final results will of course also be available to political decision-makers who decide on the feasibility of supporting various new methods of production. Another result will be the introduction of 0.0-residue production, which is the desire of a large number of winegrowers, as problems with PPP residues increasingly arise in the marketing of wine. The expected standards of retail chains and buyers are rapidly decreasing. Some demand wine with residues at a level lower than 0.001 mg/kg. We will show winegrowers how we can significantly reduce the consumption of PPPs and also PPP residues in wine without negatively affecting the amount of grape yield. Winegrowers will learn about different methods of automated application of spray slurry linked to the actual density of leaf mass, whereby they will operate modern autonomous prototypes of sprayers in the vineyard, which will enable different modes of operation of the slurry application process, namely conventional, automated and fully autonomous modes of operation. The key result will also be the upgrade of sensor application technology. To interested companies in the Republic of Slovenia, the partners will present advanced measuring sensor equipment that can be installed on sprayers that are already in use, in order to improve their operation and enable the dosing of PPP preparations according to the characteristics of the green wall of the vineyard and possibly also the extent of the occurrence of diseases and pests. This will be a prototype intended for domestic and possibly foreign industry, which can enable a massive reduction in PPP consumption at the expense of adjusted dosing on large areas of permanent vineyard plantations. Through smart sensor measurement systems (IoT technologies), we will enable winegrowers to remotely monitor the parameters of work processes in the vineyard via a web editor, thus enabling winegrowers to fully control the operation of work processes in the vineyard. From an environmental perspective, the contribution will also be in the field of managing erosion in vineyards, stopping the processes of reducing soil fertility, and improving the possibility of preventing the occurrence of major droughts. We do not expect a large-scale introduction of irrigation systems in vineyards, so it is necessary to change the soil care system to retain as much water as possible in the soil. We will rationalize the use of water for grape production.

Project partners

• KGZS – MB Institute
• UM FKBV
• UL FS
• VINEGAR
• JPZ Janez Zorko
• KMG Radgonske gorice
• KMG Toplišek
• KMG Cold
• KMG Greif

Links

• Website European Commission, intended for the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development
• Website RDP 2014–2020