Setting-up a system to assess grapevine downy mildew infection on a territorial scale. 
This project aims at setting up an agro-meteorological system to assess the evolution of grapevine downy mildew, the main pathogen of the grapevine, on a regional scale. The information gathered by the ground meteorological stations will be integrated with the data of a meteorological radar already installed in Fossalon di Grado. In this way the meteorological data can be spatialised more accurately, taking into account the orography of the territory and the other geographical-environmental components. This project will assess the differences between the various transducers for determining “leaf wetting” used in the automatic meteorological stations, in order to standardize the data of the phytopathological forecasting models. Moreover, the “leaf wetting” will be assessed also in the transducer-free areas, by means of the rainfall data provided by the meteorological radar. Finally, downy mildew infection mapping will be carried out in each of the area making up the reference territory. The maps will then be put on a web site and used by the technicians who work in the territory. According to the input of meteorological data, daily maps will be drawn up, with operational indications for the technicians who will be able to work out better targeted defense plans. The project will support the vine-growing activities and will allow a better integrated use of measuring instruments (ground and radar meteorological stations) which are already operating today, the adoption of common standards for the estimate of leaf wetting and of the grapevine downy mildew, as well as the promotion of technical, joint and shared agricultural assistance, in order to favour the adoption of low environmental impact phytoiatric techniques.