Justine Vanden Heuvel

Harvesting the sun, protecting the vines – innovation for sustainable agriculture The German Aerospace Centre (DLR), together with the organic winery Cortijo el Cura and Bettergy, has installed an agrivoltaic test facility in an organic vineyard in Laujar, southern Spain. The system combines solar modules with winegrowing and enables energy generation and sustainable agriculture at the same time. The DLR is investigating the interaction between solar modules and plant growth under real conditions, resolving land use conflicts and strengthening climate adaptation in agriculture - particularly important as rising temperatures and periods of drought are making cultivation in the region increasingly difficult. The test facility also plays an important role in meeting industrial energy requirements. The research supports a local energy supply, reduces CO₂ emissions and strengthens sustainable industrial energy systems. This project demonstrates DLR's commitment to a green future.

Harvesting the sun, protecting the vines – innovation for sustainable agriculture

Agrivoltaic pilot project in Spain combines photovoltaics with sustainable, organic viticulture and improves water and energy efficiency

Exploring the genetic diversity of Lebanon’s underexploited grapevine resources - Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution Lebanon’s well-documented history in grape cultivation and winemaking dates back millennia, intertwining with its cultural heritage and landscape. However, until recent years, Lebanon’s grapevine gene...

🍇✨ Exploring the genetic diversity of Lebanon’s grapevine varieties highlighted their rich heritage and potential for sustainable viticulture. 🌱🔬

🔗 link.springer.com/article/10.1...

#SUSTEMICROP project #PRIMA
sustemicrop.eu
#Grapevine #GeneticDiversity #Viticulture
@INRAE @IFV

Commercial bioinoculants improve colonization but do not alter the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal community of greenhouse-grown grapevine roots - Environmental Microbiome Background Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are beneficial root symbionts contributing to improved plant growth and development and resistance to abiotic and biotic stresses. Commercial bioinoculant...

We've been working with commercial AMF bioinoculants. Interestingly, our latest experiment suggests they do not change the fungal community in grapevine roots, but still positively impact above and below ground growth. environmentalmicrobiome.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.... #viticulture

Assistant Professor of Applied Viticulture University of California, Davis is hiring. Apply now!

UC Davis is searching for an Assistant Professor of Applied Viticulture recruit.ucdavis.edu/JPF06900 This looks like a fantastic opportunity! #viticulture

Innovative Way for Grape Growers To Plan for Spring Frost New computer model projects the temperatures that cause freeze damage in Northeastern cultivars.

This useful computer model will be really helpful to Northeastern U.S. grape growers. www.growingproduce.com/fruits/grape... #viticulture

Spatial Sampling of Fruit Maturity Reduces Sampling Costs for Winegrapes in California and New York Background and goals In winegrape production, clusters are sampled multiple times per growing season to assess fruit maturation. The economic cost of implementing a previously-developed spatial sampling method using normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) images to assess block variability was compared to the economic costs of random sampling (R20) and of sampling via the four corners approach (4C). The objective was to compare the travel distance to sample blocks between the spatial sampling protocol (NDVI3), R20, and 4C, and the time and cost associated with the required travel distance of each sampling method. Methods and key findings Travel distances for each sampling method were calculated for six commercial vineyard blocks. The cost of required labor and travel was calculated for each travel distance. Travel distances per block for the R20, 4C, and NDVI3 methods ranged from 3.34 to 13.63 km, 0.68 to 2.41 km, and 0.36 to 1.58 km (all per sampling event), respectively. Total cost savings per sampling event using NDVI3 ranged from $5.54 to $32.40 when compared to R20, and from $0.33 to $4.61 when compared to 4C. Conclusions and significance The cost savings of using NDVI3 for maturation monitoring appears relatively small compared to R20 and 4C, but considering that most blocks are sampled multiple times leading up to harvest, and that larger wine companies have thousands of acres to sample for fruit maturity, savings may become more substantial. We conclude that adoption of the NDVI3 sampling protocol for fruit maturity may substantially reduce the cost of production for winegrapes grown in large blocks, compared to R20 and 4C sampling.

Spatial sampling for fruit maturity using NDVI can significantly reduce sampling costs while maintaining accuracy www.ajevonline.org/content/75/1... #viticulture

Sure thing!

Watch a Robot Attempt to Pick Grapes at a Vineyard Fruit-picking robots are nothing new, but this is the first we've seen designed to harvest grapes. Extend Robotics aims to pioneer this shift in viticulture with intelligent automation at Saffron Gran...

Cool grape picking robot. Great to see this work but we are still a long way from this being useful in the vineyard #viticulture www.techeblog.com/extend-robot...

Excited to return to social media to discuss the science of vineyards with all of you! Looking forward to reconnecting with colleagues and industry professionals to exchange insights and ideas in this more positive space. #viticulture