Sensitivity of Grapevine Soil–Water Balance to Rainfall Spatial Variability at Local Scale Level

Rainfall spatial variability at local scales significantly impacts grapevine water status, potentially altering it by up to 50% compared to regional averages. A dense network of 45 rain-gauges deployed over a 28 km² area in Burgundy vineyards (France) captured rainfall data from 2014 to 2016, which was used to model grapevine water balance under varying soil water holding capacities (50 mm and 150 mm). The study found that local rainfall variability caused substantial variations in the water deficit stress index (WDSI), indicating that sparse rainfall networks may lead to inaccurate water management practices, such as irrigation or cover-crop strategies. This highlights the need for fine-scale rainfall data to optimize agricultural practices in rainfed systems.

Bois, B., Pauthier, B., Brillante, L., Mathieu, O., Leveque, J., Van Leeuwen, C., Castel, T., & Richard, Y. (2020). Sensitivity of Grapevine Soil–Water Balance to Rainfall Spatial Variability at Local Scale Level. Frontiers in Environmental Science, 8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2020.00110