Solutions for your Vineyard Monitoring Needs

• Irrgation Management - Soil Moisture, Water Metering, Valve Control
• Frost Protection - Temp, Humidity Monitoring and Alerts,
• Powdery Mildew Management - Index Monitoring
• Irrigation System Performance - pressure, flow, water level Monitoring
• Scalable to cover every unique soil and microclimate in your vineyard
• Differentiates your vineyard when selling your grapes.

Edgar Lantz, owner of Sam Brannan Vineyards, "I saved 60% on my water use in 2009.”

You have a lot invested in your vineyards. Just like your financial portfolio you've got to monitor that investment. Camalie Networks and Crossbow Technology can help. Whether you are a grower, an owner, a vineyard manager or even a winemaker you can benefit greatly from knowing exactly what is going on in the vineyard, in the air above it, in the canopy and in the ground below. Get a handle on the water in your soil and use only what you need where you need it. Our products not only monitor the environment but also provide verification that your directives such as irrigation sets, fertigation and sprays have been carried out. We have found that this technology can be a distinct differentiator when it comes to selling your grapes. Having a monitoring system shows your technological savvy and attention to detail in growing. Give us a call at 650-799-6571.

Controlled Stress Irrigation  (CSI)
Controlled Stress Irrigation is a new irrigation paradigm introduced by Camalie Networks.    It is based on the regulated deficit irrigation approach developed at UC-Davis but rather than  depend on error prone ET calculations it uses soil moisture and vapor pressure deficit to estimate leaf water potentials continuously.   ET calculations are prone to errors in canopy size, local weather conditions and other factors.  These errors accumulate over time often leading to a wilting event or excessive irrigation. Real time plant stress based irrigation avoids these cumulative errors.  With the real time constant monitoring of water stress possible with the eKo Pro System it is possible to stress the vines closer to the wilt point without reaching it.  This enables growing grapes at a higher level of water stress which conserves water and is known to improve wine grape quality.  We have observed that our irrigation volumes can be as little as 1/4 of the ET based irrigation volume prescription.  In 2005-2009 Camalie Vineyards on Mt. Veeder used just 35-46 gallons per vine each season to irrigate and still achieved a yield of almost 4 tons/acre in 2007 and 2009. Many factors affect yield besides water.

Soil moisture measurements at multiple depths and many locations are easily achieved using eKo Pro stations. They each have 4 sensor ports which can accomodate any combination of sensors. The soil moisture tension data taken at different depths using watermark sensors provides visibility where your eyes can't see. Correlating leaf water potentials to the soil moisture at different depths provides information about where it is most important to control soil moisture and by implication where the vine roots are. Data from different depths also provides insight into how fast water moves down through the soil which is useful for determining irrigation set durations and intervals. More porous soils need shorter sets more often to avoid having water bypass the root zone or dry out excessively between irrigations.

This subscription-free wireless monitoring technology brings precision control to grape growing at an affordable price for the first time. Water meter metering and valve actuation introduced this year provides the capability to do closed loop irrigation control. Call us and get the full story. 2011 marks the 4th year Camalie Networks has been in business, now with over 10 major installations spread across Napa Valley including one at Stage Coach Vineyards covering 1500 acres of vines.

Camalie Networks is an authorized distributor of Memsic's eKo Pro wireless sensor network products supporting Napa and the California North Coast Region. Camalie Networks also markets and sells its own line of software, sensor and valve interfaces designe to enhance and extend the eKo Pro system's functionality.

Contact Information

For Sales and Service: 

Telephone

office: 707-224-5842

mobile: 650-799-6571

FAX

650-326-2155

Address

1871 Mt. Veeder, Napa, Ca. 94558

E-mail

Sales/Customer Support:  mholler@pacbell.net