Life Cycle Assessment of an Innovative Technology against Late Frosts in Vineyard

Fabiana Frota de Albuquerque Landi, Alessia Di Giuseppe, Alberto Maria Gambelli, Alberto Palliotti, Andrea Nicolini, Anna Laura Pisello and Federico Rossi
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Fabiana Frota de Albuquerque Landi: CIRIAF, Università degli Studi di Perugia, 06125 Perugia, Italy
Alessia Di Giuseppe: CIRIAF, Università degli Studi di Perugia, 06125 Perugia, Italy
Alberto Maria Gambelli: Dipartimento di Ingegneria, Università degli Studi di Perugia, 06125 Perugia, Italy
Alberto Palliotti: Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Alimentari e Ambientali, Università degli Studi di Perugia, 06121 Perugia, Italy
Andrea Nicolini: CIRIAF, Università degli Studi di Perugia, 06125 Perugia, Italy
Anna Laura Pisello: CIRIAF, Università degli Studi di Perugia, 06125 Perugia, Italy
Federico Rossi: CIRIAF, Università degli Studi di Perugia, 06125 Perugia, Italy

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 10, 1-15

Abstract: Wine production is a key sector for the Italian economy, representing 13 billion euros per year. The proportion of the market raises concerns about improving the production technology at low cost, safe practices, and low environmental impacts. The recurrent life cycle assessment performed does not report on the impacts of frost protection. This study presents the potential environmental impact of a novel late frost protection technique for vineyards that is currently under development. It consists of an organic coating made of sugar and straw to prevent vine damage due to frosts in vineyards in the coldest hours of late winter and early spring. From previous research at the University of Perugia (Italy), the technique has proven to be an effective protection method for vine shoots. Currently, the yields are protected by highly energy-demanding methods. For this study, we simulated two different scenarios of frosting protection so we could point out possible hotspots for the field application of the novel method and compare it to a technique usually employed in central Italy. Under the Centrum voor Milieukunde Leiden (CML) method, the cotton candy technique is estimated at 316 kg CO 2 equivalent emissions for hectare. Employing the organic sugar-coating means avoiding 69,375 kg of CO 2 eq. compared to the traditional technique of oak wood-burning into the vineyard. Preliminary cost analysis demonstrated the economic viability of implementing the organic coating.

Keywords: life cycle assessment; wine sector in Italy; thermal insulation system; frosting prevention; frosting protection (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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