Sensors in viticulture: functions, benefits, and data-driven insights

Use of sensors and related analytical predictions can be a powerful tool in providing data-informed input to viticulturalists' decision process, complementing their vineyard observations and intuition. Their up-to-date measurements, predictions, and alerts offer actionable insights and suggestions for managing key vineyard operations, such as irrigation, disease and pest control, canopy management, and harvest timing. In many cases, anticipatory interventions can mitigate risks before problems become apparent. By offering guidance on the targeting, timing, and dosage of vineyard practices, sensor data platforms can enhance operational effectiveness and efficiency while conserving labor and resources when they are not required. They also enable implementation of the principles of precision viticulture - doing the right thing, at the right time, in the right place. This paper provides a succinct summary of the functions, benefits, and practical considerations of sensor data platforms in viticulture. It may be of interest to viticulturalists as well as agricultural and IoT researchers.