Irrigation is the driving input on quality and yield in viticulture. Manipulation of irrigation strategies can have a marked impact on wine characteristics and durability. Wine is grouped into six major categories: icon, ultra premium, super premium, premium, semi premium, and non-premium. Growers are paid on the basis of the category in which their grapes are used.
Water conservation is seen by Corporate as a pro-active way to honor their social charter to shareholders, consumers and employees.
To produce good yields of high quality grapes, bunches must be free from significant pest and disease. Weather data is processed by pest and disease models every 15 minutes, to provide accurate assessments on the current status of pest or disease in the field. Spray programs can then be tailored to maximize pest and disease control by optimizing spray timings, but also to reduce costs by only spraying when the pest and disease risk justifies a spray application. Producers then benefit from reduced agrochemical and labor expenditure, whilst acquiring premium prices for their higher quality grapes and improved profit margins from better yields.
SensorSentry powdery mildew management solution will optimize spray timings, resulting in an overall reduction in chemical inputs.