We are delighted to host Fresno State University expert in viticulture Dr. Luca Brillante on campus and online for a talk about “Precision and digital viticulture at Fresno State.”

ABSTRACT

This talk is an overview of past and current activity in precision and digital viticulture, organized in two parts: i) spatial variability of grapevine physiology and the effect of the environment, ii) development of sensing and modeling approaches to monitor and predict grapevine status in space and time. The first part will discuss grapevine physiology and grape composition variability at the field scale and the primary environmental drivers. The second part will describe methods to characterize grapevine variability, including imaging and quantifying grapevine water absorption through geophysical means, the use of machine-learning models to predict grapevine water status, and current projects on using hyperspectral imaging to assess grapevine health.

BIO

Luca Brillante is Bronco Wine Co. Chair in Viticulture and Asst. Professor at Fresno State, where he leads a research lab focusing on precision and digital viticulture. His work aims to develop new sensors and approaches to monitor and increase vineyards' efficiency and sustainability, understand the effects of environmental constraints on grapevine physiology in space and time, and test new cultural practices and farming inputs to cope with contemporary challenges like climate change and workforce availability.