Exploring the informative potential of remote and proximal sensing systems to study intra-parcel variability in specific viticultural landscapes

Viticulture, particularly in Europe, has long valued the preservation of traditional practices and the unique characteristics of each wine region. However, recent challenges, such as climate change, economic pressures, and environmental concerns, are driving mechanization and the abandonment of these traditional methods, necessitating the evolution and adaptation of new vineyard management strategies. To address these challenges, many viticulture areas are integrating advanced sensor-based monitoring systems. These sensors enable rapid data collection across entire vineyards, providing high-resolution information on vine health and fruit quality, aiding decision-making and improving management efficiency. While practical, many sensors rely on optical properties, capturing two-dimensional projections of complex three-dimensional canopies, which can lead to biased interpretations. Therefore, preliminary testing and calibration are essential before integrating sensors into new viticultural contexts. This study evaluates the informative potential of several sensor systems in the Valpolicella wine region, an area not previously investigated using such technologies. Various remote sensing (e.g, Sentinel-2, unmanned aerial vehicle) and proximity sensing (e.g., NDVI handheld sensor, thermal camera, TDR sensor) systems were considered to assess their ability to provide precise information on vine physiological status, its variability throughout the vineyard, and impacts on berry quality. The sensor data were ground-truthed through direct measurements, evaluating canopy vigor (e.g. pruning weight, leaf area, shoot growth), vine performance (e.g. bud fruitfulness, yield), and fruit traits (e.g. berry weight, skin thickness, chemical composition). This evaluation was carried out across several vineyards, representing the viticultural characteristics of the area, focusing on the autochthonous cultivars (Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella, and Molinara) and on the two typical trellis systems, vertical shoot positioning (VSP) with Guyot pruning type and overhead trellis system, the Pergola. A multivariate approach revealed varying informative potential of specific sensors depending on the two common trellis systems. Inter-vineyard evaluations demonstrated stable relationships between sensor data and vine or berry traits, particularly with vigor parameters, where inter-annual monitoring highlighted a certain consistency of spatial patterns of vineyard variability. In a separate study conducted in a vineyard outside the Valpolicella area, a sensor-based approach was integrated with molecular analysis (e.g., gene expression profiling) to better characterize the intra-parcel berry phenotypic variability. This combination revealed clear differences in berry maturation programs across vineyard vigor zones, where the spatial variability in gene expression nicely reflected the variability of related phenotypic traits.