A Monthly Water Balance Model for Vineyard Planning and Inter-Row Management

Vineyard is one of the most complex and vulnerable agroecosystems, and ongoing climate change makes it necessary to identify effective management and adaptation practices. For this reason, a water balance model tailored for viticulture was developed to be implemented within a Decision Support System...

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Main Authors: Maria Costanza Andrenelli, Sergio Pellegrini, Claudia Becagli, Alessandro Orlandini, Rita Perria, Paolo Storchi, Nadia Vignozzi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-01-01
Series:Agronomy
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/15/1/233
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author Maria Costanza Andrenelli
Sergio Pellegrini
Claudia Becagli
Alessandro Orlandini
Rita Perria
Paolo Storchi
Nadia Vignozzi
author_facet Maria Costanza Andrenelli
Sergio Pellegrini
Claudia Becagli
Alessandro Orlandini
Rita Perria
Paolo Storchi
Nadia Vignozzi
author_sort Maria Costanza Andrenelli
collection DOAJ
description Vineyard is one of the most complex and vulnerable agroecosystems, and ongoing climate change makes it necessary to identify effective management and adaptation practices. For this reason, a water balance model tailored for viticulture was developed to be implemented within a Decision Support System (DSS) aimed at supporting winemakers both in the vineyard’s planning and management phase. Starting from a simple monthly water balance, based on the Thornthwaite–Mather method, the model returns the water stress risk class through the connection to a soil and climate database; the user can however customize the response by inserting information related to a specific vineyard (e.g., planting, soil, and management layout). The model was tested using data from a three-year field experiment carried out in a vineyard under permanent grass cover (PG) or continuous tillage (CT), allowing for the evaluation of its performance in terms of water balance estimation. The model provided results consistent with the measured soil moisture values, and the annual risk of water stress corresponds to what was measured in the field, differing at most by only one class. The model can guide the user in finding the best solutions for designing new vineyards or managing the inter-row by simulating the adoption of different strategies (trellis system, planting density, type of cover crop or soil tillage) or suggesting alternative solutions (needs of irrigation supply, more suitable cultivars, or rootstocks).
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series Agronomy
spelling doaj-art-ce40f6cd3df141139e462cf6d979c6bf2025-01-24T13:17:17ZengMDPI AGAgronomy2073-43952025-01-0115123310.3390/agronomy15010233A Monthly Water Balance Model for Vineyard Planning and Inter-Row ManagementMaria Costanza Andrenelli0Sergio Pellegrini1Claudia Becagli2Alessandro Orlandini3Rita Perria4Paolo Storchi5Nadia Vignozzi6CREA—Research Centre Agriculture and Environment, Via di Lanciola, 12/A, 50125 Firenze, ItalyCREA—Research Centre Agriculture and Environment, Via di Lanciola, 12/A, 50125 Firenze, ItalyCREA—Research Centre Agriculture and Environment, Via di Lanciola, 12/A, 50125 Firenze, ItalyCREA—Research Centre Agriculture and Environment, Via di Lanciola, 12/A, 50125 Firenze, ItalyCREA—Research Centre Viticulture and Enology, Viale S. Margherita, 80, 52100 Arezzo, ItalyCREA—Research Centre Viticulture and Enology, Viale S. Margherita, 80, 52100 Arezzo, ItalyCREA—Research Centre Agriculture and Environment, Via di Lanciola, 12/A, 50125 Firenze, ItalyVineyard is one of the most complex and vulnerable agroecosystems, and ongoing climate change makes it necessary to identify effective management and adaptation practices. For this reason, a water balance model tailored for viticulture was developed to be implemented within a Decision Support System (DSS) aimed at supporting winemakers both in the vineyard’s planning and management phase. Starting from a simple monthly water balance, based on the Thornthwaite–Mather method, the model returns the water stress risk class through the connection to a soil and climate database; the user can however customize the response by inserting information related to a specific vineyard (e.g., planting, soil, and management layout). The model was tested using data from a three-year field experiment carried out in a vineyard under permanent grass cover (PG) or continuous tillage (CT), allowing for the evaluation of its performance in terms of water balance estimation. The model provided results consistent with the measured soil moisture values, and the annual risk of water stress corresponds to what was measured in the field, differing at most by only one class. The model can guide the user in finding the best solutions for designing new vineyards or managing the inter-row by simulating the adoption of different strategies (trellis system, planting density, type of cover crop or soil tillage) or suggesting alternative solutions (needs of irrigation supply, more suitable cultivars, or rootstocks).https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/15/1/233Thornthwaite–Mather methodvine phenologysoil managementvine water stressevapotranspiration
spellingShingle Maria Costanza Andrenelli
Sergio Pellegrini
Claudia Becagli
Alessandro Orlandini
Rita Perria
Paolo Storchi
Nadia Vignozzi
A Monthly Water Balance Model for Vineyard Planning and Inter-Row Management
Agronomy
Thornthwaite–Mather method
vine phenology
soil management
vine water stress
evapotranspiration
title A Monthly Water Balance Model for Vineyard Planning and Inter-Row Management
title_full A Monthly Water Balance Model for Vineyard Planning and Inter-Row Management
title_fullStr A Monthly Water Balance Model for Vineyard Planning and Inter-Row Management
title_full_unstemmed A Monthly Water Balance Model for Vineyard Planning and Inter-Row Management
title_short A Monthly Water Balance Model for Vineyard Planning and Inter-Row Management
title_sort monthly water balance model for vineyard planning and inter row management
topic Thornthwaite–Mather method
vine phenology
soil management
vine water stress
evapotranspiration
url https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/15/1/233
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