Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/776679
62 WINES&VINES February 2017 PRODUCT FOCUS Irrigation Management Systems Several systems now offer a variety of data (often in real time) about how vines are using water. By Andrew Adams A representative from Hortau Irrigation Management accesses the system through a web-enabled device. HORTAU IRRIGATION MANAGEMENT hortau.com San Luis Obispo, Calif.-based Hortau Irrigation Management's system is based on soil moisture monitoring and used for a variety crops includ- ing pistachios, berries and row crops. Gil Luera, Hortau's Central Coast regional man- ager, said the company monitors more than 10,000 acres of wine grapes in the Paso Robles, Calif., region alone. He said the system is based on data from sensors measuring soil moisture tension, which is widely considered to be the most accurate method for determining overall soil moisture. Luera said Hortau uses its own sophisticated tensimeters, which are buried in the soil and do not need to be adjusted or calibrated. Hortau owns and installs all the equipment for growers and determines the best locations to place sensors that provide representative data for entire vineyards or certain blocks. Luera said the company also works with clients on interpreting and using the data so they can make the best irrigation decisions and also fully understand what the system is telling them. "What differentiates us is that we're measuring water tension in real time," he said. "With that being said, we're able to be proac- tive with that measurement." Luera said the company's system can pinpoint not just the depth to which water is reaching but the lateral movement as well. For vineyards, the system provides the data growers can use to identify just the right amount of stress from water deficit they want for a particular block or variety. "With our system we're able to quantify that stress point," he said. That data becomes more useful year after year, and Luera said the company's staff works with clients to help make irrigation decisions and create management plans. The soil-mois- ture data collected by the Hortau system can also be coupled with weather information to aid in scheduling decisions. Data is transmitted via a cellular system to Hortau's servers, where it's available to clients through any web-enabled device. Pricing is based on a full survey of the vineyard that includes determining the range of soils as well as what the client may need. Hortau offers varying tiers of pricing based on equipment costs. The company will work with any size farm, but they typically recommend one system to monitor every 40 to 50 acres. AGTECH: VINEYARD itkweb.com, verizonenterprise.com The French company iTK first came to the United States with a vineyard-monitoring sys- tem known as Vintel. The company specializes in crop modeling and during the past 15 years has partnered with companies such as Bayer Cropscience, Syngenta and Land O'Lakes.