A case study about the use of precision agriculture technology applied to a Zn biofortification workflow for grapevine Vitis Vinifera cv Moscatel

The human population is growing worldwide which increases the food demand. Following this assumption, strategies to enhance the food production are being explored, namely smart farming for monitoring crops during the production cycle. In the present study, a vineyard Vitis Vinifera cv. Moscatel located in Palmela (N 38º 35’ 47.113’’ O 8º 40’ 46.651) was submitted to Zn biofortification workflow through foliar application of zinc oxide (ZnO) or zinc sulfate (ZnSO4) (respectively, at a concentration of 60% and 90% - 900g.ha-1 and 1350g.ha-1). The analysis of the field morphology and vigor of the vineyard was performed through Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV’s) images (assessed with altimetric measurement sensors), synchronized by GPS. Drainage capacity and slopes showed 1/3 of the field with reduced surface drainage and a maximum variation of 0.80 m between the extremes (almost flat) respectively. The NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) values reflected a greater vigor in treated grapes with treatment OZn90 showing a higher value. This data were interpolated with mineral content, monitored with X-Ray fluorescence analysis (showing a 1.3 fold increase for the biofortification index). Data is discussed being concluded that the used technologies furnishes target information in real time about the crops production.