RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Is Precision Viticulture Beneficial for the High-Yielding Lambrusco (Vitis Vinifera L.) Grapevine District? JF American Journal of Enology and Viticulture JO Am J Enol Vitic. FD American Society for Enology and Viticulture SP ajev.2021.20060-OA DO 10.5344/ajev.2021.20060 A1 Cecilia Squeri A1 Irene Diti A1 Irene Pauline Rodschinka A1 Stefano Poni A1 Paolo Dosso A1 Carla Scotti A1 Matteo Gatti YR 2021 UL http://www.ajevonline.org/content/early/2021/03/31/ajev.2021.20060.abstract AB The best Lambrusco wines are often obtained by blending a representative of the Lambrusco family (i.e. Lambrusco Salamino) with a smaller fraction of Ancellotta, a teinturier variety possessing an extraordinary quality of accumulating color. Due to the economic importance of the Lambrusco business and the rising interest in precision viticulture, a two-year trial was carried out in seven vineyard plots growing both the named varieties. A RapidEye satellite image taken on 9 August 2018, led to vigor maps based on unfiltered normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). In both the years, ground truthing was performed on the test vines chosen within each vigor area for soil features, vegetative growth, yield, grape, and final wine composition. For data pooled over sites and years, Ancellotta showed a very clear response to NDVA-based vigor mapping as low vigor areas always achieved improved ripening in terms of higher total soluble solids (+1.24 Brix), color and phenols (+0.36 mg/kg and + 0.44mg/kg, respectively), and lower malate (-1.79 g/L) vs high vigor. Such a behavior was shown even in those cases where NDVI of different vigor levels and pruning weight were not closely correlated and, most notably, low vigor matched with a slightly higher yield as compared to high vigor plots. Overall, the high yielding Lambrusco Salamino was less responsive in terms of vine performance and grape composition versus intra-vineyard variability. This study highlights that, in Ancellotta, adjusting the vine balance toward ostensible lower vigor (i.e pruning weight ≤ 1 kg/m) would result in a superior choice in terms of improved ripening and wine profiles would not be detrimentally impacted by the yield level which, in fact, increased in some cases.