Objective: a) update and modernize the Viticulture GIS and vineyard map inventory for BC, and define vineyard soil textural classes for vineyard blocks to guide irrigation and N recommendations based on soil water and N holding capacities. Determine the impacts of viticulture practices on soil carbon sequestration in the Okanagan and Similkameen valleys. Provide ongoing advice to ON and NS on employing soil definitions in GIS platforms to guide the sustainable management of water, N and C in vineyards; b) improve irrigation recommendations through studies of seasonally timed water stress interactions with fruit exposure (canopy manipulations) and their influences on fruit and wine quality (composition and sensory); c) develop methods to detect vine water stress and nitrogen status through drone based imaging (thermal emission, and multi- and hyper-spectral reflectance) to guide precision management of irrigation and N fertilization. Nitrogen management studies will be linked to the Activity led by K. Usher; d) develop methods to detect infections by virus (e.g. leafroll), fungi (e.g. trunk diseases), and bacteria (e.g. crown gall) pathogens in vineyards using multi- and hyper-spectral reflectance imaging. This work will be linked to Activities led by J. Úrbez Torres and T. Voegel.
Initiation date
Project status
Complete
Project category
Crop Protection & Monitoring
Viticulture