Variable rate fertilization for grapevines: Effects on fertilizer use and the uniformity of vine vigor, yield, and grape quality.

Soil nutrients are integral to plant growth and development, and affect the quality of grapes and wines. Soil nutrients are highly variable within and among vineyards, which leads to nutrient deficiencies or excesses and differences in vine growth and grape quality, even within vineyards. The common approach to fertilization involves the application of a constant rate of nutrients to an entire vineyard. This can not only create excess runoff that is toxic for the environment, but also fails to account for individual vine’s needs and improves the variability among vines potentially resulting diminished wine quality. Variable rate fertilization (VRF) is a potential solution for these issues that applies fertilizer to vineyard soils based on individual vine’s needs. In Okanagan Valley vineyards, we will apply fertilizers at a variable rate based on localized soil nutrient status to determine the effects of this new technique on vine growth and grape quality.

Faculty Supervisor:

Simone Diego Castellarin;Wesley Zandberg

Student:

Partner:

Vintality

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Agriculture

University:

The University of British Columbia

Program: