Applying Precision Agriculture Technologies As a Problem Solving Tool to Improve Small-scale Vineyard Management in Western Nile Delta of Egypt

Desert reclamation projects in the Western Nile Delta of Egypt targeting settlement of small-scale farmers (holders of 1 or 2 hectares) started in late 1980s and early 1990s. However, at present there is an increasing risk of agriculture instability (especially for small-scale farmers) due to several undesirable environmental impacts and production problems. In the 2010 season, an initial study conducted in the Tiba region—located in the Western Nile Delta—concluded that there is a wide spectrum of problems facing small-scale farmers including high soil salinity, increased soil water table, lack of proper irrigation and fertilization management, and nematode infection. These problems lead to gradual decrease in production quantity and quality and threaten the sustainability of viticulture future in the area. Precision agriculture is a new approach to field management that precisely identifies areas within the field that differ, helps to classify the difference, provides practical maps for management, and measures the change before and after management. This is done with the aid of global-positioning systems (GPS), computer-based geographical information systems (GIS), and the remote sensing tools. In 2011 and 2012 seasons, a two-hectare Thompson Seedless table grape vineyard of eight-year-old grapevines with severe production problems was selected in Tiba to demonstrate the potential of targeted management by using simple precision agriculture technologies. Spatial and temporal GIS maps of soil water table, soil salinity, soil pH, soil nematode infection, soil fertility, plant nutrient status, leaf water potential, canopy density, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), vineyard productivity, and fruit quality characteristics are demonstrated before and after applying precise agriculture management. The results demonstrated that soil conditions, table grape production, and fruit quality was significantly improved.