Spatio-Temporal Analysis of Satellite Imagery (NDVI) to Identify <i>Terroir</i> and Vineyard Yeast Differences according to Appellation of Origin (AOP) and Biogeographic Origin

• Main Authors: Sergio Vélez, Enrique Barajas, Pilar Blanco, José Antonio Rubio, David Castrillo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-06-01
• Series: J
• Subjects: designation of origin; appellation of origin; NDVI; vegetation index; precision viticulture; yeast
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2571-8800/4/3/20

Terroir is one of the core concepts associated with wine and presumes that the land from which the grapes are grown, the plant habitat, imparts a unique quality that is specific to that growing site. Additionally, numerous factors can influence yeast diversity, and terroir is among the most relevant. Therefore, it can be interesting to use Remote Sensing tools that help identify and give helpful information about the terroir and key characteristics that define the AOP (Appellation of Origin). In this study, the NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) calculated from Landsat 8 imagery was used to perform a spatio-temporal analysis during 2013, 2014, and 2015 of several vineyards belonging to four different AOP in Galicia (Spain). This work shows that it is possible to use Remote Sensing for AOP delimitation. Results suggest: (i) satellite imagery can establish differences in terroir, (ii) the higher the NDVI, the higher the yeast species richness, (iii) the relationship between NDVI, terroir, and yeasts shows a stable trend over the years (Pearson’s r = 0.3894, <i>p</i> = 0.0119).