Projects

Ultimate Irrigation Playlist

5 podcasts to help you improve your vineyard irrigation.

223: New Decision Support System for Irrigation Efficiency

If irrigation efficiency is a goal of yours, a new predictive model may make scheduling easier in the future. José Manuel Mirás Avalo (Spain) is working on a Decision Support System (DSS) prototype for irrigation and fertilization of winegrapes.

139: Vineyard Irrigation Scheduling

What is the most important factor in vineyard irrigation scheduling? Organization. Having defined company goals and someone in charge of holding the team accountable. Tom Shapland (Tule Technologies) and Lucas Pope (Coastal Vineyard Services) share their top challenges and strategies.

126: Developing New Irrigation Technology for a Fraction of the Cost

Greg Pennyroyal (Wilson Creek Winery and Vineyards) was looking for soil moisture systems and found that the products available in the market were all expensive and did not meet the needs of small block Temecula vineyards. He partnered with Reinier van der Lee (Vinduino) to reverse engineer the technology to develop a product that would give the same results for a fraction of the cost.

116: Using Nudge Theory to Improve Irrigation Practices

Can values, beliefs, and attitudes around irrigation improve water efficiency? DWR grant recipient, Vineyard Team, worked with 59 growers over three years to conduct irrigation-related behavior interviews, Distribution Uniformity evaluations, and determine if continued interaction (nudges) with the grower would increase the adoption of irrigation best management practices in vineyards.

112: How Deficit Irrigation Impacts Soil Quality

Deficit irrigation is used in winegrape production to keep berries small and enhance the flavor of wines, particularly with reds. Joan Davenport (Washington State University) says to get an accurate measure of soil moisture, you need to focus monitoring where the roots are.