Field experimentation

The experimentation of AGRIOT LAB focuses, among other things, on the realization of solutions that optimize the use of irrigated resources in the production of grapes and wine on the basis of requirements gathered in a collaboration born on the territory in the Roverè della Luna conoide.

To achieve these objectives we use humidity sensors and mini weather stations whose data are collected through a low energy consumption and wide coverage network and stored on an IoT platform through which these data are then processed and prepared for viewing via the web page on the phone.

This experimentation serves to validate the monitoring technologies used and wants to demonstrate how to visualize and store data related to farm management (irrigation shifts, treatments, soil conditions, etc.) in an automatic way rather than through the use of bulletin boards and paper material. The peculiarities of the Roverè della Luna “conoide” with regards to soil characteristics enabled us to validate our results in a way that can easily be extended to other application contexts characterized by similar types of terrain.

This test field deployment started with the aim of demonstrating how the IoT technology is able to bring concrete value to the agriculturers. It involves an agronomist to represent the winery requirements, a winemaker to represent the interests of private individuals and also includes an irrigation consortium that has an interest in ensuring accountable water management. The experimentation is geared towards maximizing production for a given quality level, while minimizing the costs associated with both the consumption of water and the electricity required for irrigation.

Aspects to be tested in the experimentation include surveys that can help to understand the extent to which irrigation can be reduced without actually creating negative consequences for the crop, understanding the influence (positive or negative) given for example by the grassing and its impact on water consumption before and after cutting, to understand if it is in competition with the vineyard and to what extent it influences the penetration of moisture into the soil.

AGRIOT LAB focuses on the fact that the collection of little information at low cost, but carried out continuously and with historical data easily available, allows winemakers and agronomists who assist them, to better understand the characteristics of their land and how the crops react to precision irrigation. In doing so we also collect data useful to certify winemakers who make wise use of water resources but also of various treatments (subject to monitoring sensor extension to be connected to the networks installed).

These are essential elements to start moving the agricultural sector in a direction that continues to ensure the competitiveness of the sector and products of a certain quality in the face of international threats that aim to attack a large part of the well-established and renowned Italian wine production.