Academic literature on the topic 'Soil management; grapes soils; grapes irrigation'

Cyprus has a long tradition in grape cultivation and wine making and grapevine is important for the sustainability of the agricultural sector, like in other Mediterranean areas. Water scarcity, which is projected to increase due to climate change, could negatively affect the sector. In this research, the effects of irrigation and tillage treatments on various aspects of vine growth and product quality (e.g., yield, physiology and quality attributes), were studied in Chardonnay and Xynisteri cultivars grown in clay soils in Cyprus. Regarding soil properties and water content, N and K were more abundant in the soil than P and through the growing period irrigation tended to increase electrical conductivity (EC) in the soil. Soil water content (volumetric) was 22%–27.5% and 13%–16%, when irrigation was applied or not, respectively. Vegetative soil cover occupied 50%–55% of the surface and contained species typically present in Mediterranean farms (e.g., Poaceae, Fabaceae and Brassicaceae). Tillage increased yield in Xynisteri (4–5 kg plant−1) but negatively affected other parameters such as chlorophyll levels (in Xynisteri). In combination with irrigation, tillage increased antioxidant activity in Chardonnay (assessed by FRAP and DPPH), at harvest. Total phenolics at harvest were higher in the grape juice of Xynisteri, compared to Chardonnay (30–40 and 20–25 mg GA g−1 fresh weight, respectively). Irrigation influenced phytohormone levels in the two cultivars. ABA increased in non-irrigated Xynisteri, reflecting an increased capacity to react towards water stress. Water stress is considered to increase polyphenols in grapes, but in the case of Xynisteri it seems that irrigation water is required to obtain better quality grapes as without irrigation volumetric water content (VWC) is close to the permanent wilting point. Titratable acidity and total tannins decreased in Chardonnay, when tillage and irrigation were applied. In addition, tillage and irrigation tended to elevate the pH of the grape juice. Tillage and irrigation on the other hand, had no effect on the levels of ascorbic acid and total anthocyanin content. The results of this research may help to select management strategies that support the adaptation of viticulture to climate change in Cyprus and other Mediterranean areas.

The present work studied the effect of two consecutive years of regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) compared to rain fed management on the vegetative growth, yield, and quality of ‘Nero d’Avola’ grapes. The trial was conducted separately in two soils (vertisol and entisol) located at the top and bottom hillside of the same vineyard. Vertisol was characterized by greater depth, organic matter, exchangeable K2O, and total N than entisol. RDI was based on an irrigation volume at 25% of estimated crop evapotranspiration (ETc) up to end of veraison and 10% of estimated ETc up to 15 days before harvest. Predawn water potential (PDWP) was used as indicator of plant water status and irrigation timing. No difference in irrigation management was evident between vertisol and entisol. Under Mediterranean climate conditions, RDI was able to enhance grape yield and vegetative growth, especially in vertisol, but it reduced berry titratable acidity and total anthocyanins. ‘Nero d’Avola’ showed to adapt to drought conditions in the open field. Both soil type and irrigation regimes may provide opportunities to obtain different ‘Nero d’Avola’ wine quality and boost typicality.

Long-term use of recycled water (RW) for irrigation in arid and semiarid regions usually changes the soil solution composition and soil exchange characteristics, enhancing the risk for salinity and sodicity hazards in soils. This modelling study focuses on developing alternative management options that can reduce the potentially harmful impacts of RW use on the irrigation of wine grapes and almonds. The multicomponent UNSATCHEM add-on module for HYDRUS-1D was used to evaluate the impact of long-term (2018–2050) use of irrigation waters of different compositions: good-quality low-salinity (175 mg/L) water (GW), recycled water with 1200 mg/L salinity (RW), blended water of GW and RW in the 1:1 proportion (B), and monthly (Alt1) and half-yearly (Alt6) alternate use of GW and RW. The management options include different levels of annual gypsum applications (0, 1.7, 4.3, and 8.6 t/ha soil) to the calcareous (Cal) and hard red-brown (HRB) soils occurring in the Northern Adelaide Plain (NAP) region, South Australia. Additional management scenarios involve considering different leaching fractions (LF) (0.2, 0.3, 0.4, and 0.5) to reduce the salinity build-up in the soil. A new routine in UNSATCHEM to simulate annual gypsum applications was developed and tested for its applicability for ameliorating irrigation-induced soil sodicity. The 1970–2017 period with GW irrigation was used as a warmup period for the model. The water quality was switched from 2018 onwards to reflect different irrigation water qualities, gypsum applications, and LF levels. The data showed that the GW, B, Alt1, and Alt6 irrigation scenarios resulted in lower soil solution salinity (ECsw) than the RW irrigation scenario, which led to increased ECsw values (4.1–6.6 dS/m) in the soil. Annual gypsum applications of 1.7, 4.3, and 8.6 t/ha reduced pH, SAR, and ESP in both soils and reduced the adverse impacts of irrigation, especially in surface soils. A combination of water blending or cyclic water use with 3.8 t/ha annual gypsum applications showed promise for the SAR and ESP control. Additionally, irrigation with RW, a 0.2 LF, and annual gypsum applications limited the harmful salinity impacts in the soils. However, in the RW irrigation scenario, ECsw and ESP at the bottom of the crop root zone (90–120 cm depth) in the HRB soil were still higher than the wine grape and almond salinity thresholds. Thus, annual amendment applications, combined with the long-term use of blended water or cyclic use of RW and GW, represent a sustainable management option for crop production at the calcareous and hard red-brown soils.

Conventional irrigation methods decrease greenhouse soil aeration, which leads to restricted root growth and reduced soil fungal abundance in greenhouse grapes. In this study, aerated irrigation equipment was used to investigate the effects of aerated irrigation on the biomass accumulation, root growth, and soil fungal community structure of grape seedlings. The results show that aerated irrigation significantly increased the root length, root surface area, root volume, and number of root tips by 38.5%, 32.1%, 62.1%, and 23.4%, respectively, at a soil depth of 20–40 cm (p ≤ 0.05). The chao1 index and ACE index of fungi at different soil depths under aerated irrigation were higher than those without aerated treatment; aerated irrigation changed the relative abundance of dominant fungi in rhizosphere soil. At a soil depth of 20–40 cm, aerated irrigation increased the abundance of Fusarium by 42.2%. Aerated irrigation also contributed to the abundance of the beneficial fungal genera Mortierella, Cladosporium, and Glomus. At a soil depth of 0–20 cm, the abundance of Mortierella in the soil that received aerated treatment was 180.6% higher than in the control treatment. These findings suggest that aerated irrigation is a promising strategy for the promotion of grape root growth and biomass accumulation, and it can also increase the abundance of some beneficial fungi.

Advances in grapevine biotechnology are associated with manipulation of vegetative and generative plant organs, effective use of the soil and climate potential of agricultural lands, and biological features of grape genotypes. Grapevine biotechnology allows grape productivity to be increased without additional investments. In this work, we studied table grapes of the Libya variety grafted onto a Chasselas.×V. Berlandieri 41B rootstock to determine variations in grape productivity depending on the different load of vines with shoots and bunches. The research was carried out in the Central Agroecological Zone of Viticulture (fourth subzone) of the Krasnodar Krai, in vineyards with drip irrigation and covered viticulture. The vines were planted according to a 3.8×2.0 m scheme with a density of 1316 plants per hectare. The vines were supported with a high-trunk two-arm horizontal cordon system. The average annual air temperature at the experimental site equaled +12.5... 13.0 °С; the sum of active temperatures was 3 900-4 100 °С; the maximum temperature during vegetation reached +40 °С; the minimum temperature of -30 °С was recorded in winters during dormancy. The annual precipitation level comprised 700-800 mm. The soils were low-humus, leached powerful chernozems. In terms of productivity, grapes of the Livia variety respond effectively to canopy management techniques. In this work, changes in bunch weight and grape yield were monitored depending on the load of vines with shoots and bunches. Under the studied agroecological conditions, the largest bunch mass of 870 g was achieved at the lowest load of 20 shoots and 22 bunches per vine. The maximum grape yield of 36.3 t/ha was observed with an average load of 26 shoots per vine and the largest load of 37 bunches per vine. The dependence of yield on shoot number was rather low, r = 0.08; on bunch number was medium, r = 0.53; on bunch mass was high, r = 0.75. The largest share of marketable grape yield of 98% was achieved at the load of 20 shoots and 22 bunches per vine.

The presented work analyzes the potential impacts of the temperature, precipitation changes and water salinity on agricultural water demand. The study was carried out on five representative orchard crops (olive, palm, grapes, citrus and guava) that cover around 83% of the orchard farms in Gaza Strip. To achieve this goal, CropWat modeling software version 8.0 is used to calculate the reference evapotranspiration rate and crop water requirement under different temperature and precipitation scenarios. Furthermore, a survey was conducted to evaluate the farmers' current irrigation practices and the impact of water salinity on leaching requirements and production yield. The increased temperatures by 1 or 2 °C caused an increase of the annual average evapotranspiration by 45 and 91 mm relative to the current climate condition and leading to increase of irrigation requirements by 3.28 and 6.68%, respectively. Leaching requirements do not exceed 15% for electrical conductivity (EC) value less than 2 dS/m, while it begins to increase for the EC value between 3 and 4 dS/m and account for 114, 89 and 36% for grape, citrus and guava. Generally, the impact of salinity increase on irrigation requirements is much higher than the impact of evapotranspiration increase due to the temperature increase by 2 °C and 10% precipitation reduction.

HighlightsArtificial neural network modeling was used to predict crop water stress index lower reference canopy temperature.Root mean square error of predicted lower reference temperatures was <1.1°C for sugarbeet and Pinot noir wine grape.Energy balance model was used to dynamically predict crop water stress index upper reference canopy temperature.Crop water stress index for sugarbeet was well correlated with irrigation and soil water status.Crop water stress idex was well correlated with midday leaf water potential of wine grape.Abstract. Normalized crop canopy temperature, termed crop water stress index (CWSI), was proposed over 40 years ago as an irrigation management tool but has experienced limited adoption in production agriculture. Development of generalized crop-specific upper and lower reference temperatures is critical for implementation of CWSI-based irrigation scheduling. The objective of this study was to develop and evaluate data-driven models for predicting the reference canopy temperatures needed to compute CWSI for sugarbeet and wine grape. Reference canopy temperatures for sugarbeet and wine grape were predicted using machine learning and regression models developed from measured canopy temperatures of sugarbeet, grown in Idaho and Wyoming, and wine grape, grown in Idaho and Oregon, over five years under full and severe deficit irrigation. Lower reference temperatures (TLL) were estimated using neural network models with Nash-Sutcliffe model efficiencies exceeding 0.88 and root mean square error less than 1.1°C. The relationship between TLL minus ambient air temperature and vapor pressure deficit was represented with a linear model that maximized the regression coefficient rather than minimized the sum of squared error. The linear models were used to estimate upper reference temperatures that were nearly double the values reported in previous studies. A daily CWSI, calculated as the average of 15 min CWSI values between 13:00 and 16:00 MDT for sugarbeet and between 13:00 and 15:00 local time for wine grape, were well correlated with irrigation events and amounts. There was a significant (p < 0.001) linear relationship between the daily CWSI and midday leaf water potential of Malbec and Syrah wine grapes, with an R2 of 0.53. The data-driven models developed in this study to estimate reference temperatures enable automated calculation of the CWSI for effective assessment of crop water stress. However, measurements taken under conditions of wet canopy or low solar radiation should be disregarded as they can result in irrational values of the CWSI. Keywords: Canopy temperature, Crop water stress index, Irrigation scheduling, Leaf water potential, Sugarbeet, Wine grape.

<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Aims</strong> : To test the effects of varying degrees of vigour on vine growth, cropping, grape composition and wine quality.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Methods and results</strong>: The study was conducted in 2008-2009 in a cv. Sangiovese (<em>V. vinifera</em> L.) vineyard (Tuscany). Two uniform zones marked by low (LV) and high (HV) vigour vines were pinpointed using an NDVI (normalized difference vegetation index) map. Soil analysis showed similar texture in both zones, but total soil nutrients were lower in LV than in HV. While only LV vines showed soil water content close to wilting point in 2008, they demonstrated lower leaf area and yield and higher berry sugar and anthocyanin concentrations compared to HV vines. Chemical and wine tasting analysis of the wines made in 2009 showed that the LV wines had better sensory attributes than the HV wines, despite their excessive ethanol content.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Conclusions</strong>: The differences in vigour, yield and must and wine quality of LV compared to HV vines were linked to variations in soil fertility and water retention capacity. Precision vineyard management practices like supplementary fertilization and irrigation should be used to increase vigour and yield and to decrease sugar content in LV grapes. Cover crop may be used in HV vines to decrease their vigour and yield.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Significance and impact of the study</strong>: The study confirms that the evaluation of within-field variability is crucial for site-specific vineyard management.</p>

Conservative technique of soil management plays an important role, compared to conventional tillage, in order to save soil fertility, to preserve biodiversity and to maintain vegetative-productive balance. However, alongside the many agronomic and environmental benefits, it is worth to consider that grass cover exerts water and nutritional competition, especially where irrigation is difficult to set up. This research is aimed to evaluate the effects, on vines physiology and quality of the grapes, of three different soil management: temporary sward over all interrows (IT), green manure and tillage every other row (SL) and mulching with plant residues and tillage every other row (PL); measurements were carried out in 2016 and 2017 on a Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard, in Bolgheri (Tuscany). During the experiment, single leaf gas exchanges, stem water potential, productivity were measured, while quality parameters were analyzed. Significant differences in gas exchanges related to the different season and inter-row management were observed. Compared to SL and PL, the IT showed more negative values of water potential, due to the grass-vine competition, especially when water availability is greater. The competition, exerted by sward, at the beginning of the season 2017, lead to differences in fruit setting with impact on yield; therefrom, significant differences also in anthocyanic content.

Deficit irrigation (DI) is an optimization strategy whereby net returns are maximized by reducing the amount of irrigation water; crops are deliberated allowed to sustain some degree of water deficit and yield reduction. Although the DI strategy dates back to the 1970s, this technique is not usually adopted as a practical alternative to full irrigation by either academics or practitioners. Furthermore, there is a certain amount of confusion regarding its concept. In fact, a review of recent literature dealing with DI has shown that only a few papers use the concept of DI in its complete sense (e.g. both the agronomic and economic aspects). A number of papers only deal with the physiological and agronomical aspects of DI or concern techniques such as Regulated Deficit Irrigation (RDI) and Partial Root Drying (PRD). The paper includes two main parts: i) a review of the principal water management strategies under deficit conditions (e.g. conventional DI, RDI and PRD); and ii) a description of a recent experimental research conducted by the authors in Sicily (Italy) that integrates agronomic, engineering and economic aspects of DI at farm level. Most of the literature reviewed here showed, in general, quite positive effects from DI application, mostly evidenced when the economics of DI is included in the research approach. With regard to the agronomic effects, total fresh mass and total production is generally reduced under DI, whereas the effects on dry matter and product quality are positive, mainly in crops for which excessive soil water availability can cause significant reductions in fruit size, colour or composition (grapes, tomatoes, mangos, etc.). The experimental trial on a lettuce crop in Sicily, during 2005 and 2006, shows that the highest mean marketable yield of lettuce (55.3 t ha-1 in 2005 and 51.9 t ha-1 in 2006) was recorded in plots which received 100% of ET0-PM (reference evapotranspiration by the Penman- Monteith method) applied water. In the land-limiting case, the estimated optimal economic levels were quite similar to the optimal agronomic levels. In the waterlimiting case DI ranges, at least as profitable as full irrigation, were of 17-49% ET0-PM and of 71-90% ET0-PM in 2005 and 2006 respectively.

Thesis (MSc)--Stellenbosch University, 2005.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The agricultural sector in South Africa relies heavily on the use of pesticides to protect crops against pest organisms. Pesticides can affect non-target organisms such as the meso- and macrofauna in the soil detrimentally. Since these organisms play an important role in the processes of mineralization and decomposition in the soil and contribute to soil fertility, it is important that they are protected. A large amount of published literature exists on the biological importance of soil meso- and macrofauna and the effects that various agricultural practices have on them. The main aim of this study was to investigate the influence of agricultural practices on the abundance and diversity of meso- and macrofauna in different vineyard soils. A comparative study was conducted of an organically managed, conventionally managed and an uncultivated control soil. A secondary aim was to determine the effect of these agricultural management practices on the biological activity of these animals. Soil samples were taken, from which mesofauna (Collembola and Acari) were extracted with a modified Tullgren extractor, identified and counted. Earthworms were extracted from the soil using hand sorting methods. Soil parameters such as pH, water holding capacity, organic matter content, soil texture and soil respiration were determined. Bait lamina and litter-bags were also used to help determine the biological activity within the soil. The mesofauna diversity was quantified using the Shannon Weiner diversity index, as well as a diversity index described by Cancela da Fonseca and Sarkar (1996). Differences in abundance of both the meso-and macrofauna were statistically measured using ANOVA's. Biological activity results were also interpreted using ANOV A's. Results indicate that the abundance of the meso fauna was the highest at the organically treated vineyard soil and lowest in the conventionally managed soil where pesticide application took place. The earthworms also showed the same trend as the mesofauna, but were much more influenced by seasonal changes. Biological activity, according to the bait lamina and the litter-bag results, was higher in both the conventionally and organically managed soils than in the control, but no statistical significant differences were found between the two experimental soils. The soil respiration (C02-flux), also indicating biological activity, was highest in the organically treated soil and lowest in the conventionally treated soil. The different sampling techniques used gave variable results and although the organically managed soil proved to have higher abundances of both meso- and macrofauna, the biological activity did not show the same trends. In conclusion the data did not give enough evidence as to whether organic management practices were more beneficial than conventional management practices for the maintenance of soil biodiversity.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die Suid Afrikaanse Landbousektor steun hewig op die gebruik van verskillende chemiese pestisiede om oeste teen pes organismes te beskerm. Pestisiede kon ook verskeie ander nie-teikenorganismes soos die meso- en makrofauna in die grond negatief affekteer. Hierdie organismes behoort beskerm te word omdat hulle 'n belangrike rol speel in grondprosesse soos mineralisering, en die afbreek van organiese materiaal. Hierdie organismes dra ook by tot die vrugbaarheid van die grond. Daar is heelwat gepubliseerde literatuur beskikbaar wat verband hou met die biologiese belangrikheid van grond meso- en makrofauna en die effekte wat verskeie landbou behandelings op hulle het. Die primêre doel van hierdie studie was om vas te stel watter invloed konvensionele landboupraktyke op die hoeveelheid en diversiteit van meso- en makrofauna in verskillende wingerdgronde het. 'n Vergelykende studie is gedoen om wingerdgronde wat konvensioneel en organies behandel is sowel as 'n onbehandelde kontrolegrond met natuurlike plantegroei met mekaar te vergelyk. 'n Sekondêre doel van hierdie studie was ook om die effek van die verskillende boerderymetodes op die biologiese akitiwiteit in die grond te ondersoek. Grondmonsters is geneem, waaruit die meso fauna (Collembola en Acari) deur middel van 'n aangepaste Tullgren ekstraktor ge-ekstraheer, geïdentifiseer en getel. Die erdwurms is deur middel van handsorteringsmetodes versamel. Die volgende grond parameters is gemeet: pH, waterhouvermoë, organiese materiaal inhoud, grondtekstuur en grondrespirasie. "Bait lamina" en "litter bags" is ook gebruik om biologiese aktiwiteit in die grond te bepaal. Die diversiteit van mesofauna is bepaal met die Shannon Weiner diversiteitsindeks, as ook 'n diversiteitsindeks wat deur Cancela da Fonseca en Sarkar (1996) ontwikkel is. Die resultate van beide die meso- en makrofauna hoeveelhede in die verskillende wingerdgronde is met mekaar vergelyk deur van ANOV A's gebruik te maak. Die resultate van die biologiese aktiwiteit is ook deur middel van ANOVO's statisties met mekaar vergelyk. Die resultate het aangetoon dat die hoeveelheid mesofauna die hoogste in die organies behandelde grond en die laagste in konvensionele grond was. Die erdwurms het dieselfde patroon as die mesofauna getoon, maar is baie meer deur seisoenale faktore geaffekteer, bv. reënval. Volgens die resultate van die "bait lamina" en die "litter bags" was die biologiese aktiwiteit in die grond hoër in beide die eksperimentele grond as in die kontrolegrond. Die grondrespirasie (C02-puIs) was hoër in die kontrolegrond as in die ander eksperimentele gronde. Daar was groot variasie tussen die resultate wat met die verskillende tegnieke verkry is en alhoewel die organiese perseel hoër hoeveelhede van beide meso- en makrofauna gehad het, het die biologiese aktiwiteit nie dieselfde tendens gewys nie. Vanuit die data wat verkry is kon daar dus nie met sekerheid afgelei word dat organiese boerderymetodes beter vir die biodiversiteit van gronde,soos hier gemeet, is as konvensionele boerderymetodes nie.

Wheat irrigations were scheduled using two computer models and an infrared thermometer, using three critical threshold values. Yields from these plots were compared with plots scheduled by the farm manager. The highest yield was obtained by the computer model using evapotranspiration data taken from the local AZMET station; this corroborates results from the previous year. The crop coefficients and the irrigation model that have been developed over the past several years are very accurate for this area. The two lower threshold infrared treatments were second and third in yield and had lower water use efficiencies.

Evaluates the effects of soil profile management (soil mounding and deep-ripping) and surface-cover management (straw mulch, herbicide, polymer, ryegrass) on soil structure, plant available water and vine performance on differing vineyard soils. Also evaluates the effects of irrigation by partial rootzone drying on plant available water and vine performance in combination with various strategies for managing the soil profile and surface covers in some soils with varying limitations.
Thesis (M.Ag.Sc.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, 2005

The increasing demand worldwide for Australian wine has driven the recent expansion in vineyard plantings which in turn, has increased the requirement for irrigation water in grape growing regions. Large areas of Australia's national vineyard are already irrigated with relatively poor quality water and many districts have a limited supply of water available for irrigation. Therefore, improving the efficiency of vineyard irrigation is essential for the long term sustainability of the Australian wine industry. Reducing the volume of irrigation applied to vineyards can improve water use efficiency (WUE) and reduce vine vigour. However, it can be difficult to accurately apply the required degree of water stress and this may result in a yield reduction. An irrigation technique known as partial rootzone drying (PRD) involves applying a continuous water deficit to alternate sides of the root system while ensuring the other half is well watered. This has been found to increase WUE, reduce vine vigour, improve fruit quality but not affect vine yield. Where the soil volume available for root growth is limited, so too is the resultant vine growth and yield, as access to water and nutrients is restricted. Shallow soil profiles present a major limitation to root development and grapevine vigour. In shallow soils, mounding topsoil from the vineyard mid row to form raised beds in the vine row has been found to improve vine growth and productivity. Soil mounds tend to have a higher moisture holding capacity than flat soil but the greater surface area of the mound can increase surface evaporation. Applying mulch to the mound surface has been shown to reduce evaporative soil moisture loss and conserve irrigation water. The general hypothesis tested in this experiment was that: 'Combining soil mounding, straw mulch and partial rootzone drying (PRD) irrigation will improve grapevine growth and production and reduce levels of sodium and chloride in the vine.' The experiment was established on Vitis vinifera cv. Shiraz in a mature vineyard at Padthaway, South Australia, where the soil profile consisted of a shallow loam over clay and limestone. Soils of the experimental site were classified as moderately saline because their electrical conductivity (ECse) was greater than 4 dS/m. Three main factors, irrigation method (standard or PRD), soil mounding (flat or mounded) and surface cover (bare or straw mulch) were combined into a 2X2X2 factorial experiment such that the randomised block experiment comprised three replicates of eight treatments. The irrigation treatments were control (the application of water to both sides of the vines) and PRD (the application of water to one side of the vines only at any time). In the PRD treatment the frequency of alternating the 'wet' and 'dry' sides was determined according to soil moisture measurements and was typically every 5-7 days. It was very difficult to accurately schedule the irrigation at this site to avoid applying a moisture deficit to the PRD treatment. The shallow soil profile dried very quickly following irrigation and there were problems with the accuracy of the soil moisture sensing equipment for the duration of the experiment. As a result, PRD vines experienced repeated, excessive soil moisture deficits such that vine growth and production were significantly reduced each season. Shoot length was measured weekly during the growing season, while photosynthetically- active radiation (PAR), leaf area and canopy volume were measured at full canopy. Shoot number and pruning weight were measured during dormancy. All measures of vegetative growth (with the exception of PAR) were reduced in response to PRD. The decrease in lateral shoot growth for PRD resulted in greater bunch exposure and PAR. As a direct result of the severe soil moisture deficits experienced by the PRD treatment, all components of yield were significantly reduced compared to the control treatment each season. In particular, bunch weight and berry weight were significantly lower in the PRD treatment compared to the control, which suggests a period(s) of severe soil moisture deficit was experienced. Despite the yield loss sustained by the PRD treatment, WUE was improved compared to the control treatment in the first two years of this experiment. Berry anthocyanin levels were higher for the PRD treatment than the control but this may be due to the reduction in berry size. Weekly volumetric soil moisture monitoring showed that mounded soil was wetter than flat soil each year at similar horizons. In addition, the larger soil volume of the mounded treatment enhanced vine root development. Vegetative growth was greater in the mounded treatment than the flat treatment. Mounded vines grew more shoots than non-mounded vines, although there was no effect of mounding treatment on shoot length. The difference in shoot number was significant only in year 2, possibly due to the time required for vine roots to establish in the mounds. Pruning weight and mean shoot weight were higher for the mounded treatment each year and mounded vines grew more shoots than non-mounded vines in years 1 and 2. The increase in shoot weight of mounded vines, relative to non-mounded, was most likely due to the increase in lateral shoot growth which is supported by the lower PAR values of the mounded treatment compared to the flat treatment. Each year soil mounding resulted in higher vine yields than in flat soil beds as a direct result of the increased vine capacity of mounded vines. The mounded treatment had more shoots per vine than the non-mounded treatment and thus more bunches per vine. In addition, bunch weights were higher in the mounded treatment each year, due mainly to improved fruit set and more berries per bunch. Despite the mounded treatment resulting in a denser canopy than the non-mounded treatment this did not affect fruit composition in years 1 and 2. WUE was higher for the mound treatment in years 2 and 3 only, due to the volume of irrigation water applied being reduced, yet mounded vines continued to produce higher yields than non-mounded vines. In year 3, berries from vines grown in mounded soil had significantly higher pH than berries from vines grown in flat soil beds. Mounding treatment did not consistently affect berry anthocyanin or phenolic levels. Soil moisture levels were higher in the mulch treatment than the bare treatment in all seasons. In contrast to the mounding treatment, wetter soil did not consistently lead to improved vine growth or yield. Mulched vines developed fewer roots than non-mulched vines which is likely to have limited vine access to water and nutrients. As a result, shoot growth was similar for both treatments each season. The only significant difference between treatments for pruning weight was found in year 3 and was due entirely to shoot weight. The mulched treatment had lower PAR than the bare treatment in year 3, probably the result of increased lateral shoot growth and thus increased shoot weight, although this was not significant. PAR was significantly higher for the mulch treatment, compared to the bare treatment, in year 1 only but this was not supported by significant increases in vegetative growth. The mulch treatment resulted in higher vine yield than the non-mulch treatment in years 1 and 3. This difference was significant in year 3 only when both bunch number and bunch weight were significantly higher for mulched vines. In year 1 only bunch weight was significantly higher for mulched vines. Differences between treatments occurred in year 2 for fruit composition, specifically juice TA and anthocyanin levels. The mulch treatment had significantly higher TA and a significantly lower anthocyanin concentration in berries than the non-mulch treatment in year 2. There was no evidence of increased shading in the mulched treatment relative to the bare treatment that year but the difference in anthocyanin concentration may be explained by the significantly smaller berries of the bare treatment. Analysis of samples taken regularly from the soil profile and vine rootzone showed that there was no treatment effect on soil salinity but that soil ECse increased with soil depth and time each year. Petiole samples were collected at flowering, veraison and pre-harvest and levels were deemed toxic by pre-harvest each year. The PRD treatment received approximately 60% of the salt applied to the control treatment. This did not reduce ECse but did result in lower measures of sodium and chloride in petioles and juice at harvest. Vines grown in soil mounds had access to a greater volume of soil water than the non-mounded vines. The mounded treatment had higher levels of pre-harvest petiole chloride in years 1 and 3 but this was significant only in year 3. There was no consistent trend in levels of sodium and chloride in the juice from either mound treatment, although in year 3 berry extract chloride levels were found to be significantly higher in the mounded treatment than the flat treatment. Similarly, a consistent trend in sodium and chloride levels of petioles and juice was not evident for the mulch treatment. Although, in year 3 petioles of vines grown in bare soil were found to contain significantly more petiole chloride than those which had straw mulch applied. The hypothesis that combining soil mounding, straw mulch and partial rootzone drying (PRD) irrigation will improve grapevine growth and production and reduce levels of sodium and chloride in the vine is rejected as there was not a consistent, cumulative effect of the three factors in this experiment.
Thesis (M.Ag.Sc.)--School of Agriculture and Wine, 2005.

In the last decade, massive implementation of detection devices that use the Internet of Things (IoT) has penetrated considerably in all areas, and the agricultural field is no exception. The article aims to provide an integrated vineyard management solution based on the Internet of Things technology in the Smart Viticulture domain. The monitored parameters for Smart Agriculture are the air temperature and humidity and soil and air humidity, which have a direct impact on grapes. The study region is at the viticulture station and the study period was from June to September in two the year 2019-2020. Vineyard perimeter includes the plantations located both on the right bank of the river Târnava Mare and on the river Târnava Mică, in a hilly area with kneaded relief, but very favorable for the culture of vines. The most common diseases of the vineyards are powdery mildew, downy mildew, and bunch rot. Moreover, the monitoring system aims to manage agricultural issues related to irrigations and analyze the measured parameters' effect, helping the farmers have healthy vineyards. Also, the paper addresses the need to achieve climate-adapted and more resilient farming, promoting better management tools based on objective data-driven decisions.

Sodium affected soils, along with salt-affected soils, are distributed widely in irrigated areas of the arid and semi-arid region of the world. Some of these soils can and must be reclaimed to meet the increasing demand for food, and existing irrigated lands must be managed to reduce salinization and alkalization associated with deteriorating irrigation water quality. This project was conducted for examining ways to reduce the use of chemical amendments and large quantities of leaching water for reclaiming sodic soils or for preventing soil sodification, We hypothesized that sodicity of calcareous soils irrigated with moderately sodic irrigation water can be controlled by maximizing dissolution of soil CaCO3. The work performed in Israel has shown that dissolution of CaCO3 can be enhanced by elevating the CO2 partial pressure in soils, and by increasing pore water velocity. The concentration of Ca in pore water was at an order of 1.5 mmolc L-1 at a CO2 partial pressure of 5 kPa, which is sufficient to maintain SAR below 4 at salinity of irrigation water of 0.5 dS m-1 or less. Incorporation of crop residue at a flesh weight of 100 Mg ha-1 reduced the exchangeable Na percentage from 19 to 5%, while it remained 14% without crop residue application These findings indicate a possibility of preventing soil sodification with appropriate crop rotation and residue management without chemical amendments, provided that soils remain permeable. In the case of highly sodic soils, dissolution of CaCO3 alone is usually insufficient to maintain soil permeability during initial leaching. We examined the effect of salinity and sodicity on water infiltration, then developed a way to estimate the amendments required on the basis of water infiltration and drainage characteristics, rather than the traditional idea of reducing the exchangeable Na percentage to a pre-fixed value. Initial indications from soil column and lysimeter study are that the proposed method provides realistic estimates of amendment requirements. We further hypothesized that cultivation of salt-tolerant plants with water of elevated salinity can enhance reclamation of severely Na-affected soils primarily through improved water infiltration and increased dissolution of CaCO3 through respiration. An outdoor lysimeter experiment using two saline sodic Entisols sodded with saltgrass for two seasons did not necessarily support this hypothesis. While there was an evidence of increased removal of the exchangeable Na originally present in the soils, the final salinity and sodicity measured were lowest without sod, and highest when sodded. High transpiration rates, coupled with low permeability and/or inadequate leaching seemed to have offset the potential benefits of increased CaCO3 dissolution and subsequent removal of exchangeable Na. Although vegetative means of reclaiming sodic soils had been reported to be effective in sandy soils with sufficient permeability, additional study is needed for its use in saline sodic soils under the high evaporative demand. The use of cool season grass after initial salt leaching with CaCl2 should be explored. Results obtained from this project have several potential applications, which include the use of crop residues for maintaining sodium balance, the use of CaCl2 for initial leaching of poorly permeable clayey sodic soils, and appraisal of sodicity effects, and appropriate rates and types of amendments required for reclamation

Time Domain Reflectometry (TDR) and other in-situ and remote sensing dielectric methods for determining the soil water content had become standard in both research and practice in the last two decades. Limitations of existing dielectric methods in some soils, and introduction of new agricultural measurement devices or approaches based on soil dielectric properties mandate improved understanding of the relationship between the measured effective permittivity (dielectric constant) and the soil water content. Mounting evidence indicates that consideration must be given not only to the volume fractions of soil constituents, as most mixing models assume, but also to soil attributes and ambient temperature in order to reduce errors in interpreting measured effective permittivities. The major objective of the present research project was to investigate the effects of the soil geometrical attributes and interfacial processes (bound water) on the effective permittivity of the soil, and to develop a theoretical frame for improved, soil-specific effective permittivity- water content calibration curves, which are based on easily attainable soil properties. After initializing the experimental investigation of the effective permittivity - water content relationship, we realized that the first step for water content determination by the Time Domain Reflectometry (TDR) method, namely, the TDR measurement of the soil effective permittivity still requires standardization and improvement, and we also made more efforts than originally planned towards this objective. The findings of the BARD project, related to these two consequential steps involved in TDR measurement of the soil water content, are expected to improve the accuracy of soil water content determination by existing in-situ and remote sensing dielectric methods and to help evaluate new water content sensors based on soil electrical properties. A more precise water content determination is expected to result in reduced irrigation levels, a matter which is beneficial first to American and Israeli farmers, and also to hydrologists and environmentalists dealing with production and assessment of contamination hazards of this progressively more precious natural resource. The improved understanding of the way the soil geometrical attributes affect its effective permittivity is expected to contribute to our understanding and predicting capability of other, related soil transport properties such as electrical and thermal conductivity, and diffusion coefficients of solutes and gas molecules. In addition, to the originally planned research activities we also investigated other related problems and made many contributions of short and longer terms benefits. These efforts include: Developing a method and a special TDR probe for using TDR systems to determine also the soil's matric potential; Developing a methodology for utilizing the thermodielectric effect, namely, the variation of the soil's effective permittivity with temperature, to evaluate its specific surface area; Developing a simple method for characterizing particle shape by measuring the repose angle of a granular material avalanching in water; Measurements and characterization of the pore scale, saturation degree - dependent anisotropy factor for electrical and hydraulic conductivities; Studying the dielectric properties of cereal grains towards improved determination of their water content. A reliable evaluation of the soil textural attributes (e.g. the specific surface area mentioned above) and its water content is essential for intensive irrigation and fertilization processes and within extensive precision agriculture management. The findings of the present research project are expected to improve the determination of cereal grain water content by on-line dielectric methods. A precise evaluation of grain water content is essential for pricing and evaluation of drying-before-storage requirements, issues involving energy savings and commercial aspects of major economic importance to the American agriculture. The results and methodologies developed within the above mentioned side studies are expected to be beneficial to also other industrial and environmental practices requiring the water content determination and characterization of granular materials.

The main purpose of the research was to examine approaches and to evaluate methods for minimizing the risks during applying treated domestic wastewater for agricultural irrigation. This general purpose consisted of examining under field conditions the possibilities when implementing different application technologies for minimizing health and environmental risks. It was assumed that Subsurface Drip Irrigation (SDI) will provide adequate conditions for safe effluent reuse. Controlled field experiments where conducted in commercial fields to evaluate the alternatives. Main efforts where conducted in Israel in the grape vineyard in Arad heights, in the field crops in Kibbutz Chafets Chaim and in Arizona in fields adjacent to the University campus. The complementary part was to examine the behavior of the various pathogens in the effluent-soil-plant system. The analysis is based on controlled experiments, primarily in greenhouse along with field experiments. Molecular biology methods were used to identify the behavior of the pathogens in the components of the system. The project included as well examining the effluent quality in various sites, primarily those in which treated wastewater is reused for agricultural irrigation. The monitoring included conventional parameters however, also parasites such as Giardia and Cryptosporidium. The results obtained indicate the prominent advantages of using Subsurface Drip Irrigation (SDI) method for minimizing health and environmental risks during application of secondary effluent. A theoretical model for assessing the risks while applying treated wastewater was completed as well. The management model shows the risks during various scenarios of wastewater quality, application technology and related human exposure.