The technology determines water stress in vineyards through direct temperature measurement of the plant. The system continuously monitors the plant water status and provide information that feeds into irrigation strategies to avoid severe drought or over-irrigation of the vineyards.
The technology can be extended to measure water stress in other crop types over time.
Currently:
Wine and Grape Industry.
Future:
Agriculture focused on producing crops.
Continuous systems
The leading solution for continuous water stress measurement is soil moisture sensors. Soil conditions influence the information obtained from these sensors. Our new technology measures plant response directly and is not affected by other factors.
Non-continuous systems
Other techniques commonly used in industry include satellite and drone images, soil analysis and plant sensors (e.g. dendrometers and sap flow sensors). Unfortunately, these techniques cannot provide continuous information, thus negatively impacting the farmer's ability to make quick irrigation decisions. In addition, some of these techniques are expensive and complex, requiring a high level of training.