A temporal investigation of leaf spectroscopy for grape variety discrimination

The use of narrow band remote sensing techniques for vegetation analysis is in growing demand in the field of precision viticulture. Hyperspectral reflectance data were examined through a leaf-level study to assess the feasibility of discriminating grape variety over a month long period through leaf senescence. The study included eight different varieties of Vitis vinifera L., and encompassed the full extent of terroir effects. First order derivative spectra were generated, and one-way ANOVA with Post-hoc tests were performed. Results indicated that the discrimination between varieties was possible through the visible and NIR regions. The greatest differences were observed between red and white grape varieties, and to a lesser extent amongst the white grape cultivars. Differences were attributed to leaf pigment content and leaf cell structure.