| Project name | Nitrogen snapshot for wine producers |
| Funding bodies | University of Tasmania and Wine Australia |
| Lead researcher | Dr Joanna Jones |
| Student | Harriet Walker |
| Partners | Jansz Parish Vineyard |
| Contributors | Lauren Rowlands |
Testing nitrogen levels in vines takes time but an instantaneous nitrogen snapshot is in development.
PhD candidate Harriet Walker is developing a technique to instantaneously assess how much nitrogen is contained in the canopies of grapevines.
“The goal is to develop a method to assess nitrogen levels using hand-held remote sensors that is fast, simple and cost-effective. The sensors we are trialling measure leaf greenness, which is an indicator of how much nitrogen the plant needs," Harriet said.
Harriet's research is informing an algorithm to predict nitrogen levels based on data from the sensors.
These sensors are used in other agricultural industries, however not currently in wine production. Harriet is working to change this.
Factsheets:
- Assessing canopy nitrogen levels with handheld remote sensors (PDF 574.6 KB)
- Seasonal movement of nitrogen in grapevines (PDF 1.2 MB)
Lead Researcher: Dr Joanna Jones