A web-based decision support system for the sustainable management of vineyards

The transition from conventional to sustainable viticulture requires increased knowledge of the farming system and makes decision making for crop management complex (Rossi et al., 2012). In Europe, the framework for sustainable viticulture is the Directive 128/2009/EC on the Sustainable Use of Pesticides that makes integrated pest management (IPM) mandatory across Europe. IPM promotes low pesticide control of harmful organisms based on crop monitoring and tools for decision-making. A decision support system (DSS), called vite.net, was developed for vineyards, powdered by Horta, a spin-off of UNICATT. The DSS is a web-based tool able to: i) collect multiple information/data in real-time about different vineyard components (air, soil, plants, pests, and diseases) by using IoT technologies; ii) analyze these data by advanced modelling and bigdata solutions; and iii) make up-to-date information, alerts and decision supports for vineyard management. The DSS considers grapevine growth and development, risk for diseases (downy and powdery mildews, black-rot and Botrytis bunch rot) and pests (berry moth, American leafhopper and mealybugs), protection dynamics of fungicide applications, and abiotic stresses (drought, low and high temperatures). In season 2017, the DSS was used by 300 farmers on approximately 12.000 ha across Italy and in 36 pilot vineyards in Spain. The use of the DSSs significantly increase the farmer’s profit and decrease the environmental impact of crop production.