The Industrial Internet of Things is useful for more than just manufacturing. A vineyard in southern Germany discovered the value of implementing an IIoT frost warning system designed and assembled by WIKA.
Ever since agriculture arose about 12,000 years ago, farmers have been at the mercy of the elements. Subsequent innovations, such as irrigation systems and climate-resilient varietals, have mitigated some of the risks. Another breakthrough technology was weather forecasting. For example, if the temperature in Florida or California is expected to drop below freezing, growers can deploy row covers, over-tree sprinklers, wind machines, or even helicopters. Heaters are effective, but high fuel costs and the manual labor involved makes this method impractical for all but the most valuable crops, such as wine grapes.
Frost Protection in Vineyards
In winter, dormant grape vines can tolerate temperatures of 5°F (−15°C) or lower, depending on the varietal. But come spring, when buds begin to unfurl, a late frost will kill young leaves and destroy the entire crop. This is what happened in April 2017, when temperatures across southwestern Europe dipped below 27°F (−3°C) one night. The economic loss from Black Thursday, as this day has become known, was around €3 billion (US$3.28 billion) in France alone.
Perhaps with that devastating loss in mind, a grower in Bavaria’s Mainviereck wine region – said to have the best vineyards in Germany – worked with WIKA to implement a frost-warning system for its vineyard. (WIKA’s global headquarters are in Klingenberg am Main, within the Mainviereck.) This IIoT system consists of six model TRW wireless resistance thermometers (RTDs), sending radio signals via LoRaWAN (long-range wide area network) to a central receiver (gateway), which then bundles the data for visualization on WIKA’s browser-based platform, WIKA.io. Thus, the winegrower can see the precise readings on a computer, tablet, or smartphone.
The battery-operated sensors, mounted on trellises in strategic locations throughout the vineyard, transmit readings every 30 minutes. As the wet-bulb temperature approaches freezing, the system would issue an alert. This would prompt the winery to warm the air by lighting contained fires, an ancient method that smaller European growers still use today to protect their vines.
Putting the Temperature Monitoring System to the Test
WIKA’s monitoring system includes a low-temperature threshold (top) that triggers an alert, and a second alert that warns users to take immediate mitigation measures.
During a few days one spring, frost was predicted for the Mainviereck region, so the winery planned to deploy its anti-frost strategy at 4 a.m. However, after receiving a notification from the warning system, the owner realized that 4 a.m. would be too late, so he and his staff started lighting the candles at 2:30 a.m. instead. “Thanks to the temperature monitoring system, we were alerted early,” said the visibly relieved winemaker.
The alarm is just one benefit of the WIKA solution. Not only did it help the grower determine when to light the candles, but also when to put them out. This feature was especially critical, as there was frost for two consecutive nights. If the grower hadn’t extinguished the flames when the application said it was safe to do so, he would not have had enough candles left for the subsequent frost event.
Other Applications for Temperature Monitoring in Agriculture
WIKA’s wireless temperature monitoring solution does more than help growers optimize their anti-frost measures. It also aids long-term planning. With continuous monitoring and longitudinal temperature data, wineries can see which portions of a current or potential field are susceptible to frost pockets, and to select the best locations for growing certain varietals. In addition, temperature monitoring helps detect fungal infestation.
WIKA USA, Your Partner for Wireless Sensing
Vineyards and orchards in the U.S. are typically bigger than ones in Europe, so they tend to favor mechanical frost mitigation methods, such as microsprinklers in Florida and wind machines in California, rather than manually lighting fires. But regardless of the technology used, wireless temperature monitoring helps optimize the timing and duration of these protective measures, thus increasing efficiency, reducing costs, and promoting sustainability. Contact WIKA USA’s IIoT solutions specialists for more information about smart sensing solutions.
Product mentioned in this article
• TRW miniature resistance thermometer with wireless transmission