Tule Vision is positioned to help grape growers make informed irrigation decisions for their vineyards. So important during increasingly frequent drought years that Tule Vision has been recognized as one of the Top-10 New Products at the 2022 World Ag Expo.
Growers can use Tule Vision to take midday leaf water potential readings by simply taking short iPhone videos of their vines. Photos from each video are then fed into a model that reports the readings in real-time to the grower on their phone. Water stress readings and photos are also displayed on Tule’s web dashboard and app.
“Tule Vision gives us the ability to take quick, accurate water stress measurements that don’t require specialized training or cumbersome equipment. This helps us easily create our weekly irrigation schedules. My advice to anyone considering Tule Vision is to give it a try, expect to be humbled, learn from technology, and let it help you become a better irrigator.”
says viticulture consultant Chris Storm.
In 2014, Tule launched Tule Sensors, a UC Davis research-based product that uses field sensors to measure Actual Evapotranspiration (ETa) and water stress in crops. The sensors also connect to a field’s irrigation system to measure how much water is being applied. The combination of data is used to make irrigation recommendations that maintain the exact water stress levels that the grower prefers. Using thousands of grapevine water stress measurements from Tule sensors and photos taken by field technicians, Tule was able to develop the artificial intelligence model that powers Tule Vision.
For growers who rely on pressure chamber readings, Tule Vision makes it easier to take more readings in less time. For vineyard managers who are less familiar with pressure chambers, Tule Vision provides a simple, quick, and cost-effective way to take midday leaf water potential readings that show vine water stress. With unlimited users, anyone in the grower’s organization can take readings and access this information to get a more complete picture of vineyard health.
“Since the demo launch of Tule Vision, we’ve received tremendous feedback from users that have allowed us to make improvements to the model and provide an even better experience for growers,”
says Tom Shapland, Ph.D., founder, and CEO of Tule.
One change that growers will notice this season is a feature that enables users to attach an iPhone to an ATV and passively collect readings as they drive down vineyard rows.
“Helping growers achieve their production goals is at the heart of what we do. We rely heavily on our customer relationships and are always looking for new ways to improve what we provide them.”
says Shapland.
Source: Tule
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