A smart app to control the effects of climate change on vineyards.
by
Amanda Saint
03 August 2020
7 min read
by
Amanda Saint
03 August 2020
7 min read
Wineries in Europe have been testing a new app to help them manage the effects of climate change on their grapes. Funded by the European Union's Horizons 2020 research and innovation programme, the app aims to help vineyards become more resilient to the impact of changing weather patterns.
The global wine market has been growing steadily and in 2018 was valued at USD $354.7 billion. It is projected to grow another 21% by 2023 to a value of more than USD $429 billion, so managing the effects of climate change on this significant commodity is vital.
Wine grapes thrive in places where the summers are long, warm and mainly dry, and the winters are pretty cold and rainy. While traditionally regions in France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, California, Chile, Australia and New Zealand have been top spots for premium grape-growing, global warming means countries that were previously inhospitable for grapes, such as England, Belgium and Canada, are now seeing new vineyards thriving in their changed climate.
At the same time, world-famous wine regions are having to look at the possibility of changing the grape varieties they grow to adapt to the shift in weather patterns. Wineries in Bordeaux, France and the Napa Valley, USA, known for producing the finest cabernet sauvignons, have been trialling several new grapes to see which may be more suitable for their new climate.
According to eVineyard, in order to ripen properly, wine grapes need >1390 to <2220 growing degree days (GDD) of temperatures above 10 °C.
Calculating the number of GDD, as well as when they will happen and the kind of temperatures and weather they are likely to deliver, is a crucial element of grape farming. Wine grapes are very sensitive to changes in climate plus the farmers have traditionally used weather indicators to know when pests are most likely to cause a problem, as they too thrive in certain climatic conditions.
According to climate projections for the regions in southern Europe where the vineyards involved in the trial of the new app are based, they can expect to see more intense heatwaves, droughts and wildfires. Plus winters will likely be warmer meaning the cold spells grapes need during their dormant phase, in order to see healthy growth during the spring and summer months, will become less frequent. VISCA, which stands for Vineyards Integrated Climate Change App, is focused on helping grape farmers understand and adapt to these factors, and more, in a changing world.
Since late 2017, the development team has been working with grape farmers in Spain, Italy and Portugal to understand what they need from the app to become more resilient to climate variability and climate change. Each region is focused on different grape varieties and different climate features. The Spain trial is looking at Chardonnay and Tempranillo; Italy is focused on Aglianico grapes; and Portugal has its sights set on Touriga Nacional.
The VISCA application has been implemented as a Decision Support System (DSS), which integrates climate and agricultural models with the grape farmers' management specifications to help them design short, medium- and long-term adaptation strategies and practices that will improve the vineyard's resilience to climate change.
The VISCA DSS is organized as a dashboard, combining different information widgets in a single view and a map viewer, to provide three key forecasts.
Phenology forecasts: phenology is the study of cyclic and seasonal natural phenomena, especially in relation to climate and plant and animal life. The DSS forecasts are based on phenological phases for seasonal forecasts combined with actual phases that have been observed by the farmer. They also include a quality forecast based on sugar accumulation and expected alcoholic level. The information in these forecasts can help grape farmers with specific aspects of crop planning, such as harvesting, defoliation and pruning. Irrigation forecasts: the amount of water grape plants receive—and when—is a vital element of healthy crops. This forecast enables farmers to plan better, especially in the face of unpredictable seasonal rain patterns. The DSS estimates the amount of water grape plants should receive one week in advance based on past weather observations, weather forecasts, a water stress strategy and the irrigation already applied. This information is a vital element of healthy crops enabling farmers to react to a forecasted deficit of rain. Weather forecasts: the farmers can access short-, medium- and seasonal predictions based on weather- and climate-modelling tools that use weather observations from different sources such as land-based stations and Earth Observations (EO). The weather forecasts are integrated into the phenology and irrigation forecasts that enable grape farmers to anticipate the effects of coming weather on the vineyard and properly plan weather-sensitive activities.
Besides developing a DSS, VISCA is also testing two innovative management techniques: the first one is crop forcing, which is based on moving the grape-ripening period from the hot summer months to a cooler month later in the growing season. This is achieved by making an additional pruning, which stops the natural cycle of the plant thereby “forcing" it to restart its cycle later.
The second one is shoot trimming, a post-veraison summer pruning technique (veraison is the onset of ripening) that vineyards use to decrease leaf-to-fruit yield ratio and slow down carbon partitioning to berries. In doing so, it also minimizes sugar accumulation, which is responsible for the increase in alcohol concentration in the wine.
To date, the effects of crop forcing and shoot trimming have been tested in the field during three growing seasons, from which very promising results are expected. In the VISCA DSS the end users are able to introduce these management techniques so that the phenological model consider their effects.
According to the latest progress report published on the VISCA site, VISCA end users have recognised clear added value from the app, although they currently find the inputting, accessing and analysing of data too complex.
So far, validation feedback has been collected during two growing seasons and will be collected in one more so that the VISCA team can fine-tune the DSS. Once the app has been fully validated, it is expected that the VISCA DSS can be replicated to other grape varieties and even to other kind of crops, extending the benefits of VISCA within the agriculture sector. The ultimate goal: To help farmers of all crops find ways to increase their resilience to climate change.
THIS WEBSITE (AND THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN) DOES NOT CONTAIN OR CONSTITUTE AN OFFER OF SECURITIES FOR SALE, OR SOLICITATION OF AN OFFER TO PURCHASE SECURITIES OR IS NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES (INCLUDING ITS TERRITORIES AND POSSESSIONS, ANY STATE OF THE UNITED STATES AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA) OR FOR THE ACCOUNT OR BENEFIT OF ANY U.S. PERSON AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE SECURITIES ACT (A "U.S. PERSON"), AUSTRALIA, CANADA, JAPAN OR SOUTH AFRICA OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION WHERE SUCH AN OFFER OR SOLICITATION WOULD REQUIRE THE APPROVAL OF LOCAL AUTHORITIES OR OTHERWISE BE UNLAWFUL (THE "OTHER COUNTRIES"). THE SECURITIES REFERRED TO HEREIN HAVE NOT BEEN AND WILL NOT BE REGISTERED UNDER THE U.S. SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE "SECURITIES ACT"), OR PURSUANT TO THE CORRESPONDING REGULATIONS IN FORCE IN AUSTRALIA, CANADA, JAPAN, SOUTH AFRICA OR THE “OTHER COUNTRIES” AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED OR SOLD IN THE UNITED STATES OR TO A U.S. PERSON UNLESS THE SECURITIES ARE REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT, OR AN EXEMPTION FROM THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT IS AVAILABLE. NO PUBLIC OFFERING OF SUCH SECURITIES IS INTENDED TO BE MADE IN THE UNITED STATES, AUSTRALIA, CANADA, JAPAN OR IN THE “OTHER COUNTRIES.”
In any Member State of the European Economic Area ("EEA"), the information contained in this website is only directed at and may only be communicated to persons who are "qualified investors" ("Qualified Investors") within the meaning of Article 2(e) of Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 (the "Prospectus Regulation").
The information to which this website gives access is directed only at persons (i) who are persons falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) ("high net worth companies, unincorporated associations etc.") of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (the "Order") or (ii) who have professional experience in matters relating to investments falling within Article 19(5) of the Order or (iii) to whom it may otherwise lawfully be communicated (all such persons together being referred to as "relevant persons"). Any investment or investment activity to which this communication relates is only available to relevant persons and will be engaged in only with relevant persons, or in the EEA, with Qualified Investors. Any person who is not a relevant person, a Qualified Investor or otherwise permitted under applicable law or regulation to access the information, should not act or rely on the information contained herein.
Confirmation of Understanding and Acceptance of Disclaimer
These materials are for informational purposes only and are not directed to, nor are they intended for, access by persons located or resident in the United States, Australia, Canada, Japan or South Africa or any of the Other Countries. I certify that:
I am not resident of, or located in, the United States, Australia, Canada, Japan or South Africa or any of the Other Countries or I am not a U.S. Person; or
If I am a resident of, or located in, the EEA, I am a Qualified Investor within the meaning of Article 2(e) of the Prospectus Regulation; or
If I am a resident of, or located in, the United Kingdom, I am a Qualified Investor and a relevant person.
I have read and understood the disclaimer set out above. I understand that it may affect my rights. I agree to be bound by its terms and I am permitted under applicable law and regulations to proceed to the following parts of this website.
WARNING: the above certification constitutes a "self-certification" pursuant to Decree of the President of the Italian Republic No. 445 of 28 December 2000. False certifications are punishable by law.
You must read the following information before continuing.
The information contained in this segment of the website is not intended for, and must not be accessed or distributed or disseminated to persons resident or physically present in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Japan or any other jurisdiction in which it is unlawful to do so. The information also is not intended for, and must not be accessed or distributed or disseminated to persons resident or physically present in Italy who are not “qualified investors” (investitori qualificati), as defined in Article 2, letter e) of Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 (the “Prospectus Regulation”) pursuant to Article 1, fourth paragraph, letter a) of the Prospectus Regulation as implemented in Italy by Article 35, paragraph 1, letter d) of CONSOB regulation No. 20307 of February 15, 2018.
By clicking the button below labeled “I agree”, you are certifying that (A) if you are in the European Economic Area, you are a “Qualified Investor”; (B) you are not accessing this portion of the website from the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada or Japan; (C) if you are a resident or physically present in Italy, you are a qualified investor as defined under the Prospectus Regulation as implemented in Italy by Article 35, paragraph 1, letter d) of CONSOB regulation No. 20307 of February 15, 2018; and (D) you are not located in a jurisdiction where it is unlawful to access this portion of the website.
You acknowledge that the information and statements contained in the document you are accessing on this website speak only as of the date of such document (or such other date(s) specified therein), and such information and statements may become inaccurate, stale and/or out-of-date thereafter and should not be relied upon for any investment decision.
You acknowledge that the materials on this website that you are accessing are confidential and intended only for you and you agree you will not forward, reproduce, copy, download or publish any of such materials (electronically or otherwise) to any other person if this is not in accordance with the law.
You acknowledge that the access to information and documents contained on this portion of the website may be illegal in certain jurisdictions, and only certain categories of persons may be authorized to access this portion of the website. If you are not authorized to access the information and document contained on this portion of the website or you are not sure that you are permitted to view these materials, you should leave this portion of the website.
You acknowledge that no registration or approval has been obtained and Eni Gas e Luce S.p.A. società benefit and its affiliates assume no responsibility if there is a violation of applicable law and regulation by any person.
By clicking the button below labeled “I agree”, you are confirming that you have read and understood the disclaimer above.
If you cannot so confirm, you must exit this portion of the website