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Geisenheim University of Applied Sciences is testing the sensor-controlled application of nitrogen fertiliser. "A sensor attached to the tractor measures the supply status of the vine via the reflection of the leaves. This information is passed on digitally to the fertiliser spreader, which regulates the application: Vines that are already well supplied receive less fertiliser, while poorly supplied vines receive more," explains trial leader Dr Matthias Friedel from the Institute for General and Organic Viticulture at Geisenheim University. The method has been tested since May on the land of the Hessian State Wineries Kloster Eberbach (Rheingau).
"It is the first use of this technique in an on-farm trial for viticulture in German-speaking countries," said Friedel. "Digital technologies have already arrived in everyday life in large parts of area agriculture. However, viticulture as an agricultural niche has not been very attractive for manufacturers of precision agricultural machinery because it is too small and too slow."
A total of 14 individual projects on the digitalisation of agriculture are being investigated in the research network. In the DIWAKOPTER project (digitalisation in viticulture and arable farming with multicopters), for which a regional conference will be held in Geisenheim on 13 July, researchers are investigating the use of drones and sensors in crop protection and fertilisation. The Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) is funding DIWAKOPTER with 1.8 million euros.
(al / source: Geisenheim University of Applied Sciences; photo: facebook diwakopter)
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Research funding for artificial intelligence in German viticulture