Advances in Sustainable Growing Systems for High Quality Grape and Olive

A Special Issue of Horticulturae (ISSN 2311-7524) belonging to the section "Fruit Production Systems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (14 August 2026) | Viewed by 1721

Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Agriculture Crop Production and Rural Environment, Laboratory of Viticulture, University of Thessaly, 38446 Volos, Greece
Interests: viticulture; abiotic stresses; grapevine eco-physiology; viticultural practices; biostimulants; grape quality; sustainability

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Guest Editor
Department of Agricultural, Food, and Environmental Sciences (DSA3), University of Perugia, Via Borgo XX Giugno 74, 06121 Perugia, Italy
Interests: mechanical harvest; breeding and clonal selection of new varieties; abiotic stress; fruit growth; ripening indexes
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Sustainable viticulture and olive-growing systems are undergoing rapid transformation as climate change, resource constraints, and evolving market demands place increasing pressure on production. In this context, a range of sustainable viticulture and olive production practices have emerged—including soil and canopy management, pant improvement, precision agriculture technologies, and agroecological approaches—all aimed at reducing chemical inputs, improving soil health, using water more efficiently, and enhancing biodiversity. While these approaches are steadily advancing, critical limitations in large-scale application, climate adaptation, and economic viability persist, signalling an urgent need for further innovation and expanded uptake. Therefore, this Special Issue seeks to gather state-of-the-art research in viticulture and olive growing systems, focusing on (i) climate-adaptive practices (such as drought-resistant traits in varieties and rootstocks, genetic improvement, and canopy, water, mineral, and soil sustainable management); (ii) advances in grapevine and olive tree ecophysiology to improve efficiency and resilience; (iii) precision agriculture for plant stress monitoring and input reduction; (iv) integration of mechanised and automated technologies to improve efficiency and resilience and overcome labour shortages; and (v) the redesignation of the cultural and social value of viticulture and olive-growing landscapes. This Special Issue will cover a wide range of multidisciplinary topics, including, but not limited to, grapevine and olive production, grapevine and olive tree physiology, smart technologies, analytical chemistry and biochemistry, among others. Both reviews and research papers are welcome.

Dr. Despoina Petoumenou
Dr. Daniela Farinelli
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Horticulturae is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • environmental constraints
  • roots and soil microbiome interactions
  • biotic and abiotic stresses
  • canopy and soil management
  • breeding and clonal selection of new varieties
  • training systems
  • physiology biostimulants
  • biocontrol
  • yield and fruit quality
  • regenerative viticulture
  • smart technologies
  • vineyard
  • landscapes

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

19 pages, 12955 KB  
Review
Smart Technologies and Artificial Intelligence in Sustainable Viticulture: Applications, Benefits, Barriers and Governance for High-Quality Grape Production
by Evangelia Zoi Nathena, Kyriakos Psyllakis, Despoina Petoumenou and Emmanouil Kontaxakis
Horticulturae 2026, 12(6), 719; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae12060719 - 11 Jun 2026
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Abstract
Smart technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) are increasingly reshaping viticulture by improving vineyard monitoring, supporting data interpretation, and enabling more targeted management decisions. This review examines how sensor networks, remote sensing, machine learning, deep learning, and decision-support systems contribute to more sustainable vineyard [...] Read more.
Smart technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) are increasingly reshaping viticulture by improving vineyard monitoring, supporting data interpretation, and enabling more targeted management decisions. This review examines how sensor networks, remote sensing, machine learning, deep learning, and decision-support systems contribute to more sustainable vineyard management and the production of high-quality grapes. Particular attention is paid to applications in grapevine stress monitoring, disease and pest detection, irrigation and nutrient management, yield estimation, grape quality prediction, and emerging automation. The review also highlights the main barriers that still limit broader adoption in commercial vineyards, including data quality issues, limited transferability across sites and seasons, interoperability gaps, vendor lock-in, and concerns related to governance, privacy, and cybersecurity. Although these constraints remain significant, the available evidence shows that smart viticulture can improve resource-use efficiency, support more precise interventions, and help growers respond more effectively to environmental variability. Future progress will depend on stronger validation under field conditions, better integration into practical vineyard workflows, interoperable digital infrastructures, and decision-support tools that are transparent, reliable, and useful for end users. Full article
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