Field Study on Multifunctional Irrigation of Vineyards

In recent decades, worldwide wine-growing regions have been increasingly exposed to the effects of climate change, such as summer heat waves and late spring frosts, as well as long period of droughts during the growing season. In this context, it is necessary to develop innovative adaptation strategies: particularly, this study explored a multifunctional approach in vineyard irrigation, to provide hydric nutrition when needed and to counter the negative effects of excessively high summer temperatures and of late spring frosts. The experimental activities were conducted during the 2020 and 2021 agricultural seasons, in a Chardonnay vineyard located in Cavriana, in the area of Garda Colli Mantovani DOC (Italy). An irrigation system equipped with drippers and mini-sprinklers (the latter to protect from both spring frosts and summer high temperature events) was set up. In particular, eight plots were designed to compare four different irrigation strategies: i) automated drip irrigation; ii) automated drip and sprinkler irrigation; iii) traditional drip irrigation, iv) no irrigation. Results obtained during the two seasons highlight the potential of the automated, multifunctional irrigation in protecting vines from thermal stress and in increasing water use efficiency.