National Wine and Grape Industry Centre
Optimising Resource Use & Protecting the Environment
WATER savings in vineyards and reductions in the environmental footprint of irrigation and fertiliser use on warm inland growing regions are among timely industry outcomes nominated for this project.
Researchers will compare moisture sensors used to schedule irrigation and develop case studies showing how to get the best out of them in terms of water management and crop performance. The tests will cover a range of soil, cultivar and vine age combinations. The data will be used to develop ways of better matching irrigation and fertiliser application to vine needs and to add value to on-farm EMS risk assessment tools to support sustainable production.
Classical methods of crop estimation will be reviewed and new models for improved yield prediction will be developed using remote sensing techniques. Errors in the prediction of grapevine productivity will be reduced by accounting for environmental effects on the vine yield over consecutive seasons.
Overall industry benefits will include significant cost savings for growers. Experimental sites will be established on two commercial vineyards in the Riverina and Hunter Valley growing regions of NSW.