A GIS-Based Multicriteria Index to Evaluate the Mechanisability Potential of Italian Vineyard Area | Land Portal
Land Journal Volume 9 Issue 11 cover image

Resource information

Date of publication: 
November 2020
Resource Language: 
ISBN / Resource ID: 
10.3390/land9110469
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Copyright details: 
© 2020 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article.

Planting criteria of new vineyards should comply with rational and sustainable criteria, taking into account the potential mechanisability of existing viticultural areas. However, an established methodology for this assessment is still lacking. This study aimed at analysing the parameters which influence the vineyard mechanisability, with the objective to propose a new mechanisability index. The mechanisability index proposed was based on GIS-analysis of landscape and management parameters such as mean slope, shape of the vineyard block, length-width ratio, headland size, training system and row spacing. We identified a sample of 3686 vineyards in Italy. Based on the above-mentioned parameters, vineyards were categorised by their level of mechanisability (l.m.) into four classes. Moreover, we analysed the correlation between l.m. and economic indicators (area planted with vineyard and wine production). Results showed that the main factors limiting the mechanisability potential of some Italian regions are the elevated slopes, horizontal training systems and narrow vine spacings. The l.m. showed a moderate positive correlation with the size of vineyards and the volume and value of production. The methodology presented in this study may be easily applied to other viticultural areas around the world, serving as a management decision-making tool.

Authors and Publishers

Author(s), editor(s), contributor(s): 

Cogato, Alessia
Pezzuolo, Andrea
Sørensen, Claus G.
De Bei, Roberta
Sozzi, Marco
Marinello, Francesco

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