Now that you know the difference between NDVI and EVI, and five ways to improve wine quality using VineView’s vine vigor products, it’s time to discuss when you should be collecting this important data, and how often. The right timing and frequency can help maximize the information and insights you gain from your aerial imagery.
Aerial imagery can be such a valuable visual tool throughout the entire course of the growing season, from bud break to harvest. VineView’s suite of precision viticulture data products can be used for pointing out areas of concern in regard to everything from nutrient deficiencies, irrigation and cover crop management, to disease and pest control.
When can I start?
Vigor mapping can begin in the spring (April or May in the Northern Hemisphere, and August or September in the Southern Hemisphere) and continue through until harvest which typically takes place in the fall. To gain the most information and to track how your vineyard management practices are affecting your crop, we recommend multiple flights across the growing season, with the most flights occurring earlier in the season!
Why should I order multiple flights?
One flight at the beginning, middle, or towards the end of the growing season can be helpful and will certainly provide you with some valuable insights into the health of your vineyard, but it’s kind of like just reading one chapter of a book – you certainly don’t get to know the whole story. Here are 3 reasons you should collect aerial imagery multiple times throughout the growing season.
1. To monitor impact of vineyard management practices
Collecting data multiple times across the growing season allows growers to track the progress and evolution of their vineyard and monitor the impact of their vineyard management practices.
Here’s an example of a client who we flew multiple flights for last season. They were able to adjust their applications and efforts to achieve their desired vigor levels by monitoring their vineyard each month and making adjustments according to their results.
Since our data is scientifically calibrated, and can be scaled to an absolute standard, it makes comparing maps between parcels, and over time easy!
2. To detect issues before they spread
VineView’s aerial imagery and data enables grape growers to spot areas of concern before they become visible to the naked eye (and before they become problems areas) and empowers them to take a pro-active approach.
An area of extremely high vigor might indicate a water leak that needs attention, whereas an area showing very low vigor might be the result of nutrient deficiency or grapevine disease. We also offer disease mapping and are able to scout for grapevine disease 200 times more efficiently than traditional scouting methods. Our technology was even proven to be more accurate at identifying Grapevine Leafroll Disease than experts on the ground in a study with UC Davis.
The best time to scout for grapevine diseases like Grapevine Leafroll Disease is later in the growing season.
3. To make adjustments sooner
There are critical points in the growing season when the fruit is developing and maturing, and the result of this process can dramatically affect the taste, acidity, and overall quality of the grapes produced. Monitoring your vineyard in such an efficient and time effective manor allows you to make decisions quicker to ensure you are optimizing the quality and yield of your vineyard.
To order your aerial imagery and gain valuable data insights for your vineyard, contact us today or visit vineview.com.