Field trials and application tests take place in vineyards of particular value located between Franciacorta and Oltrepò Pavese, ideal territories for validating technologies on a real scale through direct comparison with producers and local stakeholders.
iCOVINE adopts an integrated combination of cutting-edge technologies. On the ground, Sentek Drill & Drop probes are installed for the continuous measurement of soil moisture, temperature, and salinity; these are complemented by LI-COR 720 stations dedicated to monitoring CO₂ and water flows between the vineyard and the atmosphere. This physical network interacts with remote-sensing data, which includes Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite images for the calculation of vegetative vigor and water stress indices, together with high-resolution surveys carried out using drones equipped with multispectral and thermal sensors. All data is ultimately fed into the INFRAGRI digital platform (https://infragri.it/).
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Among the main expected results is a reduction in the sector’s water footprint, with an estimated savings of up to 15% in water resources. The project also allows defining and scientifically validating guidelines for the management of vineyards with a positive carbon balance, while creating an integrated, scalable and replicable IT model in various wine-growing regions at the national and European level.
The entire facility is developed within the’Italian Soil Health Living Lab and the European network iCOSHELLs, These organizations offer the scientific framework for the co-creation of shared solutions between farmers, researchers and local authorities. The main partners are the University of Milan and Ruma S.r.l.