The Future of Grape Production in South Africa
EUCA Technologies offers a "next generation" data logging weather station that is highly recommended for grape farmers and individuals overseeing production at wineries and vineyards. By implementing advanced technology such as the HOBO range of data loggers and weather stations, grape farmers in South Africa can remotely manage and maintain the annual growth of their grapevines.
The HOBO range offer numerous applications a solution in various circumstances, helping farmers maintain healthy and productive vines by tracking numerous environmental factors.
Grape vines thrive in climates with long warm summers and rainy winters, due to climate change various technologies have been facilitating growth by allowing users to monitor their vineyard in real time analysing environmental data such as: light, air, water and soil conditions.
The HOBOnet Field Manager (RX3000) sensor nodes are capable of measuring a wide range of environmental factors including temperature, soil moisture, rainfall, and wind direction/speed. Additionally, they can measure utility factors such as DC current, DC voltage, and power usage. These comprehensive measurements make the Field Manager is a powerful tool for monitoring and analyzing environmental conditions.
Click here view all HOBOnet sensor nodes.
Instant access to site-specific environmental data anywhere via the internet enables informed and precise decision-making. An owner of a vineyard in California said, “We used the HOBO wireless air temperature sensors to monitor frost conditions in the vineyards, when temperatures start to drop an audible alarm would notify us that corrective measures should be made.”
The data informs of irregularity that has proven to be much better than having to rely on chance to turn on the frost protection system. He continued by saying, “Since we set the sensors to sample every couple of minutes, we were able to see how fast the temperature dropped -- as it was happening -- and project when critical temperatures would be reached.”
Through The Grapevine
Because grapevines thrive in certain climates it’s increasingly important to monitor and control suitable temperatures, adequate sun, heat, and water during the growing season, and enough cold during the dormancy phase, all fundamentally crucial to the quality of the wine.
“As the climate changes, it’s become a challenge to predict what the weather has in store, luckily because we specialize in solutions, there's a range of different technologies and sensors to suit and manage different vineyard operations. Maintaining surface wetness is crucial because grape vines are susceptible to mildew and disease", remarked the sales director of EUCA.
Many viticulturists also depend highly on the rain gauges to benchmark and ensure that the antifungal spray we use on the vines is effective. The data tells how many hours the anti-fungal spray takes to absorb before a rain event.
After the plants have been protected it's also critical to know the volume of water that occurred during a rain event and how much of the residual spray is left to protect the plants. Additionally, the data from the soil moisture sensor also aids in managing irrigation schedules. The new HOBO RX3000 station simplifies vineyard responsibilities with its onboard LCD display and ability to operate in both indoor and outdoor environments.
With up to 65 different microclimate provision points, this next-gen station offers high-quality sensors and flexibility similar to more expensive systems.
The RX3000 remote station makes it possible to “take the grape farm with you” by having all the information on the vines' conditions in real-time. The device has a built-in alarm, notifying the personnel on site to take corrective measures and prevent shortages that in turn benefits cost saving and quality in grape operations.
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