Abstract
Optimizing fungicide distribution is essential for the environmental and economic sustainability of viticultural systems, mainly because traditional (ground-area-based) spraying strategies frequently lead to overapplications, especially during early phenological stages, with up to 70% of the fungicide dispersed in the environment. In this study, we tested a recent approach that uses LAI estimates – acquired using a smartphone – to define spray volumes and fungicide doses according to the canopy characteristics and to possible limits declared in the fungicide label. An exploratory on-farm demonstration of the method was carried out in four vineyards in Northern Italy during 2024, by comparing LAI-based applications with farmer-defined volumes. Results highlighted reductions in spray volume and fungicide dose (mean values: − 9.8% and − 9.4%), and no obvious deterioration in yields or increase in disease severity were observed under the conditions explored. Moreover, mean reductions in copper residues in must and wine samples (–8.6% and − 18.1%, respectively) were observed, and a 37.3% decrease in a stained-area drift index was estimated during one application at one farm. The approach is implemented in a mobile application, thus opening to new opportunities to transfer LAI-based methods to optimized fungicide distribution in operational farming contexts.
Funding
This study was partly funded by the Lombardy Region (FEASR PSR 2014–2020 Operazione 1.2.01, domanda 202202226466, SMARTDEFENSE), and received funds from the projects Agrifood TEF (Grant agreement n. 101100622; funded by the EU Digital Europe Programme and by the MiMIT within the PNRR Component 4), and NextGenerationEU PNRR AGRITECH.
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Rusconi, C., Confalonieri, R., Mandelli, B. et al. Multi-farm operational evaluation of a leaf area index-based approach to optimize fungicide distribution in vineyards.
Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-71026-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-71026-y
Keywords
- Leaf area index
- Downy mildew
- Spray coverage
- Off-canopy deposition
- Copper residue
Source: Ecology - nature.com
