Vineyard management zones: A case study based on soil apparent electrical conductivity survey

Abstract

In the current context of increasing costs of production factors, it is essential to optimize the management of available resources, seeking to incorporate technologies that improve knowledge of the variables involved in the agronomic production process. In this study, carried out in a 3.3 ha vineyard located near Évora, in the South of Portugal, a contact sensor (“Veris 2000 XA”) was used to map soil apparent electrical conductivity (ECa). A precision altimetric survey of the field was also carried out with a global navigation satellite system receiver (GNSS). The results of these surveys were submitted to geostatistical treatments that allowed the definition of three management zones (MZ; less, intermediate and more productive potential). The validation of these MZ was carried out by laboratory analysis of soil samples (texture, pH, organic matter ˗ OM, moisture content, phosphorous, potassium, exchange bases and cation exchange capacity ˗ CEC). All these soil parameters proved the validity of the MZ (of less, intermediate and more productive potential) defined from the ECa and altimetric survey. This validation attests to the interest of expeditious technological tools for monitoring ECa as a fundamental step in implementing smart agronomic decision-making processes.