I-Corps: Reducing and Managing spring frost damage

这个i-Corps项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力集中在最大化防霜资源、减少产量损失、提高质量、支持决策以及降低葡萄和核果的霜冻管理成本。寒期和霜冻仍然是全世界葡萄和核果生产的最大敌人之一。葡萄和果园生产与气候条件高度相关，这使得亚季节天气变化及其与气候变化的联系对这一经济部门来说是一个具有挑战性的问题。种植者目前可能会部署化石燃料加热器、喷水系统、直升机和风力发电机的下行气流来抵御春季霜冻破坏。这些方法通常成本高昂，有些会引起环境问题，而且在许多情况下，它们可能会受到水资源供应和区域覆盖范围的限制。改变容易受到霜冻伤害的萌芽阶段的时间似乎是应对当前和正在出现的气候变化挑战的一个可行的替代方案。拟议的i-Corp计划探索端到端解决方案的实施和商业化机会。这项创新结合了一种生物活性、无毒、可生物降解的胶囊技术(喷雾)，该技术改变了葡萄的内部生理，并促进了芽断裂的延迟。预测性分析系统提供建议，以便就霜冻风险管理作出明智的决定。这个I-Corps项目是基于一系列研究的基础上的，这些研究结合了修剪管理、影响芽断裂的内源调节的生物物理和生化因素以及对冷害的抗性。此外，该项目将这些知识与分析数据平台(软件)相结合，该平台将根据农场层面的环境温度(物候学)、地形和土壤数据来分析植物发育。与全球和区域气候模式相结合，将有助于在高空间和时间尺度上理解气候变异性。该平台将为葡萄园和果园层面的决策提供更好的预测，以减少与预测可靠性相关的一些最重大的挑战，即断芽和霜冻风险。此外，这一预测性分析系统将成为持续创新工具和服务的基础，以支持决策，以适应日益增长的做法，并由于已经观察到的和日益恶化的气候变化影响而保持可持续性。I-Corp程序还将用于完善我们对客户价值、支付意愿和当前最佳替代方案的成本的理解。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project focuses on maximizing resources for frost defense, reducing yield loss, improving quality, supporting decision-making, and reducing frost management cost for grapes and stone fruits. Cold periods and frost episodes are still one of the worst enemies of grape and stone fruit production worldwide. Grape and orchard production are highly linked to climatic conditions, making sub-seasonal weather variability and its connections to climate change a challenging issue for this economic sector. Growers may presently deploy fossil fuel heaters, sprinkler systems, the downward draft from helicopters and wind machines to fight spring frost damage. These methods are usually costly, some create environmental concerns, and in many cases they may be limited by water availability and area coverage. Altering timing of bud break stages that are susceptible to frost injury appears to be a viable alternative to cope with current and emerging challenges of climate change. The proposed I-Corp program explores implementation and commercialization opportunities of an end-to-end solution. The innovation combines a bioactive, non-toxic biodegradable encapsulation technology (spray) that alters internal grapevine physiology and promotes bud break delay. A predictive analytic system provides recommendations to make informed decisions about frost risk management. This I-Corps project is based on a series of studies that have combined pruning management, biophysical and biochemical factors influencing the endogenous regulation of bud break, and resistance to cold injury. In addition, the project combines this knowledge with an analytic data platform (software) that will analyze plant development as a function of environmental temperature (phenology), topographic and soil data, at the farm level. Combination with global and regional patterns of climate patterns will aid understanding climate variability at high spatial and temporal scale. This platform will allow better prediction for decision making at the vineyard and orchard level to reduce some of the most significant challenges associated with prediction reliability about bud break and risk of frost. Moreover, this predictive analytic system will be the foundation for continued innovation in tools and services to support decision-making to adapt growing practices, and to preserve sustainability due to already observed and worsening climate change impacts. The I-Corp process will also be used to refine our understanding of customer value, willingness to pay and the cost of the best current alternatives.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.