RFID microchips as a tool for traceabilty in grapevine nurseries: pre- and post-grafting implants

The RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology has been used since several years for identification and traceability of various products. Even in the agrifood chain this approach has been successfully adopted to guarantee a reliable traceability system. In the grapevine nursery, the storage of data in a field log is an essential step in the plant production process. Specific regulation requires the presence of colored labels where type, origin and other features of the material are indicated. This system is cheap and simple, but has several drawbacks; therefore the application of the RFID technology in the grapevine nursery has been studied. The insertion of RFID tags (microchip) in grafted and ungrafted cuttings would allow to store and retrieve a large quantity of data concerning the single plant, including the actual application of hot water treatment against phytoplasma diseases. In March 2011, microchips (0,21 x 1,20 cm) were inserted in the pith of two types of grapevine (Vitis spp.) propagation materials: grafted cuttings (a) and grafted rootlings (b), subjected or non-subjected to the hot water treatment (50°C for 45'). In (a) the microchips were inserted in the rootstock cuttings (Kober 5BB and S.O.4) after direct drilling of pith, before grafting the cuttings with scions of 'Barbera' and 'White Muscat'. In (b) the microchips were inserted in grafted rootlings of three 'Nebbiolo' clones, a few cm below the grafting point, through a "U" cut performed laterally by a specially designed machine. Tags could be read through a palmtop computer and an appropriate software program allowed managing the stored data. After one year-cultivation in the nursery, the grafted cuttings (a) were planted in a vineyard in spring 2012. The tagging accuracy (readable microchips) was generally good, despite some variability among treatments also related to the quality of the plant materials. The grafted rootlings (b) were planted in vineyard in spring 2011. In the following summer more than 90% microchips were readable, whereas this percentage decreased to 50% in summer 2012 in more humid conditions, indicating that the microchip insertion in grafted rootlings can entail some problems. In conclusion, the electronic tagging of grapevine propagation materials proved technically feasible, although the cost of microchips (which is now too high in respect to the average price of the grapevine rootlings) still hinders their routine adoption in nursery. Nevertheless, electronic tagging could be advisable for the "base" material (the one used by nurseries to establish their mother vine vineyards) which has a greater commercial value.