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2 6 V I N E YA R D & W I N E RY M A N A G E M E N T | S e p t - O c t 2 016 w w w. v w m m e d i a . c o m Knowing how your vineyard is faring before it goes into all-out panic mode in a heat event is pret- ty heady stuff: It helps you be pro- active rather than reactive. Pricing obody likes the word "drought," but we'd best get used to it. With water clearly the most precious and valuable commodity on the planet, making every drop count is more critical than ever. When talking with some of the larger growers about how they're coping with a drier climate, one name consistently comes up: Frui- tion Sciences. The Oakland, Calif.- based precision viticulture software company is helping winemakers and grapegrowers all over the globe monitor their vineyard and manage water use based on plant vigor. By strapping sensors directly on a vine, the so-called sap flow sensors mea- sure vine transpiration rates every 15 minutes, uploaded via a solar- powered data collector to software that calculates a water deficit index which is then transmitted to a Web- based interface accessible from desktop or mobile devices. + Many larger winegrowers are turning to technology to reduce and manage water use. + Sensors can measure plant vigor to see where and how much water is needed. + Aerial imaging can also help track vegetation changes. + Most growers don't think they're watering too much. AT A GLANCE varies with the frequency and type of sensors as well as mapping technologies used for data report- ing, from every 15 minutes to once per week or year. The num- ber of sensors required depends on the topography and soil variabil- ity of the vineyard. Under uniform conditions, a pair of sensors can manage water use for 40 acres, while variable slopes, soil types and exposures would require addi- tional sensors at key locations alongside other monitoring points for manual measurements on a weekly basis (without sensors attached to the vines), which the company calls "smart points." According to Fruition Sciences, t h e n u m b e r o f s m a r t p o i n t s ranges from two to 300 per vine- yard in its customer base. Costs for the service attached to the Web application for smart point monitoring combined with a pair of sap flow sensors is typically Every Every Every Last Last Last Drop Drop Drop Managing water in the vineyards is key to sustainable winegrowing. BY LAURA NESS Precision viticulture software from Fruition Sciences helps monitor vineyards and manage water use based on plant vigor, such as this installment at Jackson Family Wines. Drop Drop Drop Drop Drop Drop