Technology

Traditional viticulture is about managing a vineyard rather than individual grapevines. Practices such as irrigation, fertilisation, crop protection, and pruning are applied uniformly across a block. “I’m not saying it’s wrong,” remarks Prof Carlos Poblete-Echeverría, “but we want to move to something new to help growers improve.” Poblete-Echeverría is an associate professor in the Department of Viticulture and Oenology at Stellenbosch University (SU) and the Digital Agriculture Research Group Coordinator at the South African Grape and Wine Research Institute. His research focuses on developing and utilising new digital tools in viticulture and agriculture. He is interested in digital viticulture, defined as the application of new technologies to manage the spatial and temporal variability within vineyards, providing growers with valuable information to support optimal management.