GO PRERIVID. Prediction of vineyard water needs for a sustainable use of irrigation water. 

PRERIVID is a Supra-autonomic Operational Group that aims to create a precision tool for vineyard irrigation water management. This tool will allow predicting 7-day irrigation requirements by integrating data from active vegetation, soil moisture, cultural management, local meteorology, and climatology. PRERIVID will thus contribute to creating a more sustainable and competitive wine industry by enabling companies to adapt to the challenges posed by climate change such as water scarcity and heat waves. 

To this end, PRERIVID will install sensors and take measurements of all relevant parameters to determine the water status of the vineyard. With this information, it will calibrate and validate the SIMDualKc model. With this model and the 7-day weather forecast, PRERIVID will calculate the reference evapotranspiration (ETo) and crop coefficients (Kc) for the future and develop an irrigation management tool. PRERIVID will adjust these predictions to the phenological state, vineyard configuration, cultural management, soil types, and winegrowing zones under study. It will also evaluate the use of agricultural practices with an impact on water management, such as the use of cover crops and the application of kaolin. 

PRERIVID will also analyze the impact of treatments on grape quality and study the use of digital NIR techniques to assess water and nutritional status. 

PRERIVID will thus contribute to meeting the challenges of climate change through sustainable management of water resources in areas with high water stress. PRERIVID will also improve the competitiveness of wineries by helping them to maintain vineyard quality and production and contribute to boosting the development of rural areas. For all these reasons, PRERIVID is perfectly aligned with the European Union’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and will be a milestone in the way vineyard irrigation water is managed in Spain. 

PRERIVID’s main objective is to develop an irrigation management tool to predict irrigation requirements based on meteorological data, soil moisture and local weather forecasts. To this end, PRERIVID contemplates the following specific objectives: 

1. Determine the water requirements of the vineyard based on local data for each plot.
2. Estimate future irrigation requirements using ET₀ (reference evapotranspiration) and Kc (crop coefficient) models.
3. Develop a 7-day ET₀ and Kc prediction model for each phenological stage and vineyard.
4. Develop a management tool that integrates present and future water needs.
5. Evaluate the impact of agronomic techniques that affect vineyard water status:
   • Implementation and management of ground covers.
   • Application of kaolin.
6. Estimate grape quality as a function of experimental treatments in the vineyard.
7. Use digital tools (e.g., NIR spectroscopy) for the evaluation of vineyard water stress.

The results to be achieved by the PRERIVID project are as follows: 

• Model for the calculation of vineyard water needs and estimation of 7-day requirements. 

• 7-day ETo and Kc prediction model for each vineyard and phenological stage. 

• Irrigation management tool to determine current and future irrigation needs. 

• Management of agronomic techniques with impact on vineyard water status: Implementation and management of cover crops, and application of kaolin. 

• Effects of irrigation strategies and agronomic practices on grape composition and quality. 

• Prediction of water stress and nutritional quality of the vineyard using NIR spectroscopy. 

• Economic impact of irrigation strategies and agronomic practices on vineyard management. 

Consult the project brochure in: Spanish / English 

Consult the project activities in: Spanish / English 

The Operational Groups, key players in the implementation of the AEI-Agri (European Innovation Partnership for Productive and Sustainable Agriculture), are one of the key tools in the implementation of the Strategic Plan of the Common Agricultural Policy (PEPAC) 2023-2027 to boost innovation in the agri-food and forestry sector at the European level. This is the grouping of agents of different profiles with common interests, such as farmers, livestock breeders, companies, research or training and dissemination centers, who associate to launch an innovation project with the aim of providing a joint and multisectoral response to a problem or need. 

Innovation project within the framework of the Strategic Plan of the Common Agricultural Policy (PEPAC) 2023-2027, financed 80% by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) of the European Union and 20% by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA). The Directorate General for Rural Development, Innovation and Agri-Food Training (DGDRIFA) is the authority in charge of implementing this aid.  

Total project budget: €589,371.54, Total grant: €583,385.01.