A connected vine post that turns precision viticulture into a genuine ally against frost and mildew

inegrowers have always enjoyed discussing the weather as they tend their vines and have now got a new topic of conversation as they head from one row to the next. Sentinelle Vignes, a subsidiary of the Alcom Technologies group, has devised a connected vine post which is linked to a dedicated application and monitors weather conditions. The four to five sensors per hectare – which is the recommended density – monitor conditions daily at vineyard block level and use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to map the risks of frost and onset of mildew over a seven-day period.

The tool will help winegrowers anticipate protection of their plots against frost and mildew, by using resources other than candles or plant protection products. Alcom provides mobile, geo-located wind turbines accurately controlled using risk maps in order to ventilate only the areas at risk, heating the cold air masses by burning pellets or drying out excessively damp areas which promote the onset of fungal diseases. The technique is a real achievement in precision viticulture.

“To use precision viticulture, you need a lot of data. Not general data, like data from a weather station for 30 different plots, but very close-up data, specific to each plot so that they can be treated individually”, explains Fabrice Gautier, president of the Alcom Technologies group. Inserted into a 50kg block of concrete in the vine row, each post is self-sufficient for its energy – with a battery that runs for 500 days – and communication requirements, with a 4G LTE antenna transmitting daily readings. It is fitted with temperature and humidity sensors – in the soil, its trunk and under its blades – cameras at the front and rear to take daily photos and a water stress sensor, using differential measurement of the conductivity of a leaf on the neighbouring vine.

Research on Sentinelle Vignes was launched in 2018 and led to the first trials in 2020 at Château Clos de Boüard, which has 30 hectares of vines in the Montagne Saint-Émilion appellation area. Now in the roll-out phase, 177 ‘sentinels’ have been delivered to Bordeaux and Champagne this year. One connected post costs €90/month to rent, which includes installation, matrixing, maintenance, application, etc. The wind tower is available to rent or buy, for €45,000. “These are affordable prices”, says Coralie de Boüard, head of Château Clos de Boüard, which currently has 14 sentinels: “I quickly recouped my investment by protecting the crop and reducing spraying”. However, the 2022 vintage, where frost came early and the season was sunny, did not demonstrate the efficacy of Sentinelle Vignes for the Bordeaux chateaux and Champagne companies that used the tool.