Main objective of the project is to decrease the environmental impact related to grape production by introducing novel technologies for PA and validate in two vineyards in Italy and Spain the technical performance of a cost-effective and integral solution based on the implementation of a new PA system developed in a previous research project.

Under the guidelines of this general objective, the project intends to:
1) Verify and demonstrate the effective potential of PA techniques for viticulture in terms of pesticides reduction, energy reduction and fuel saving. Also, WINEgROVER will allow the reduction of ammonia and PM emissions in support of the implementation of the upgraded UNECE
Code of Good Practice for reducing emissions from agriculture.

2) Analyze the efficiency of the system and comparing the results with traditional methodologies.

3) Examine the suitable scenarios for the diffusion of such techniques in 2 agricultural contexts in Italy and Spain. Two full prototypes of the innovation will be developed, each of them consisting in: a remote-controlled aircraft component, an innovative autonomous terrestrial electric rover moving along the vineyards and equipped with actuators, multi-sensory instrumentation for proximal sensing, areal time location system, a ground control station IoT management platform, software and a series of sensors for real time data and for ground monitoring of main microclimatic parameters.

4) Assess the threshold of economic convenience and environmental benefits.

5) Assess through analytical models based on LCA and “ground, machine, climate” data, the long-term effects of the proposed technologies.

6) Diffuse what tested and validated in the pilot sites, to encourage the spread of WINEgROVER in other vineyards in EU (targeted countries: Portugal, France, Romania, Greece, Germany).

7) Define and disseminate standards of intervention for the application of PA in the various phases of the grape production cycle and in all production systems (conventional, organic and biodynamic) and replicable at EU and International level.

8) Improve consumer health protection: creating growth and development conditions in order to detect improvements in terms of endurance, healthiness, grape and wine quality and plant production.

9) Develop an open IT tool for assessing the benefits deriving from the adoption of precision farming techniques to be used by farmers.

10) Enter the market with a new product.