Ultra-High Frequency transponders in grapevine: A tool for traceability of plants and treatments in viticulture

The storage of agrochemical data in a field log is an essential step in the plant production process in order to guarantee a safer traceability system, and grapevine health observations can help to monitor diseases. Traceability systems can be implemented by means of integrated computer-based information systems. The availability of Ultra-High Frequency (UHF) transponder implantation methods for grapevines offers the possibility, thanks to greater reading distances, to link data, such as plant treatments, to create a system in which geographically positioned plants can be registered. Two UHF transponders were designed to be implanted in grapevines and the effects on trunk histology or growth parameters were evaluated. The results indicate that the transponder and pith diameters are important factors for producing UHF-tagged plants without detrimental effects. Implantation of a UHF transponder of 2.4 ± 0.1 mm diameter in ‘Kober 5BB’ does not increase loss of viability or detrimental growth compared to control. Conversely, implantation in rootstocks with a smaller pith diameter, such as ‘1103 Paulsen’, causes reduction of viability and growth when using this kind of transponder, while viability and growth suffer after implanting UHF transponders of 3.5 ± 0.1 mm diameter in both rootstocks. Three software programs are described which are able to integrate a digital field log with an online database for “basic” and “certified” material belonging to nurseries or farms. Post-process tests, usability and portability of the system were evaluated. Treatment registration showed higher successful read rates for UHF transponders compared to LF transponders under test conditions, suggesting an easier management of UHF-tagged grapevines.