Monitoring and Mapping Vineyard Water Status Using Non-Invasive Technologies by a Ground Robot

[EN] There is a growing need to provide support and applicable tools to farmers and the agro-industry in order to move from their traditional water status monitoring and high-water-demand cropping and irrigation practices to modern, more precise, reduced-demand systems and technologies. In precision viticulture, very few approaches with ground robots have served as moving platforms for carrying non-invasive sensors to deliver field maps that help growers in decision making. The goal of this work is to demonstrate the capability of the VineScout (developed in the context of a H2020 EU project), a ground robot designed to assess and map vineyard water status using thermal infrared radiometry in commercial vineyards. The trials were carried out in Douro Superior (Portugal) under different irrigation treatments during seasons 2019 and 2020. Grapevines of Vitis vinifera L. Touriga Nacional were monitored at different timings of the day using leaf water potential (psi(l)) as reference indicators of plant water status. Grapevines' canopy temperature (T-c) values, recorded with an infrared radiometer, as well as data acquired with an environmental sensor (T-air, RH, and AP) and NDVI measurements collected with a multispectral sensor were automatically saved in the computer of the autonomous robot to assess and map the spatial variability of a commercial vineyard water status. Calibration and prediction models were performed using Partial Least Squares (PLS) regression. The best prediction models for grapevine water status yielded a determination coefficient of cross-validation (r(cv)(2)) of 0.57 in the morning time and a r(cv)(2) of 0.42 in the midday. The root mean square error of cross-validation (RMSEcv) was 0.191 MPa and 0.139 MPa at morning and midday, respectively. Spatial-temporal variation maps were developed at two different times of the day to illustrate the capability to monitor the grapevine water status in order to reduce the consumption of water, implementing appropriate irrigation strategies and increase the efficiency in the real time vineyard management. The promising outcomes gathered with the VineScout using different sensors based on thermography, multispectral imaging and environmental data disclose the need for further studies considering new variables related with the plant water status, and more grapevine cultivars, seasons and locations to improve the accuracy, robustness and reliability of the predictive models, in the context of precision and sustainable viticulture.This research was funded by the European Union under grant agreement number 737669 (Vinescout project).Fernández-Novales, J.; Saiz Rubio, V.; Barrio, I.; Rovira Más, F.; Cuenca-Cuenca, A.; Alves, FS.; Valente, J.... (2021). Monitoring and Mapping Vineyard Water Status Using Non-Invasive Technologies by a Ground Robot. Remote Sensing. 13(14):1-20. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13142830120131

Hyperkalemia in Heart Failure Patients in Spain and Its Impact on Guidelines and Recommendations: ESC-EORP-HFA Heart Failure Long-Term Registry

[Abstract] Introduction and objectives: Hyperkalemia is a growing concern in the treatment of patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction because it limits the use of effective drugs. We report estimates of the magnitude of this problem in routine clinical practice in Spain, as well as changes in potassium levels during follow-up and associated factors. Methods: This study included patients with acute (n=881) or chronic (n=3587) heart failure recruited in 28 Spanish hospitals of the European heart failure registry of the European Society of Cardiology and followed up for 1 year. Various outcomes were analyzed, including changes in serum potassium levels and their impact on treatment. Results: Hyperkalemia (K+> 5.4 mEq/L) was identified in 4.3% (95%CI, 3.7%-5.0%) and 8.2% (6.5%-10.2%) of patients with chronic and acute heart failure, respectively, and was responsible for 28.9% of all cases of contraindication to mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist use and for 10.8% of all cases of failure to reach the target dose. Serum potassium levels were not recorded in 291 (10.8%) of the 2693 chronic heart failure patients with reduced ejection fraction. During follow-up, potassium levels increased in 179 of 1431 patients (12.5%, 95%CI, 10.8%-14.3%). This increase was directly related to age, diabetes, and history of stroke and was inversely related to history of hyperkalemia. Conclusions: This study highlights the magnitude of the problem of hyperkalemia in patients with heart failure in everyday clinical practice and the need to improve monitoring of this factor in these patients due to its interference with the possibility of receiving optimal treatment.[Resumen] Introducción y objetivos. La hiperpotasemia es una preocupación creciente en el tratamiento de los pacientes con insuficiencia cardiaca y fracción de eyección reducida, pues limita el uso de fármacos eficaces. Este trabajo ofrece estimaciones de la magnitud de este problema en la práctica clínica habitual en España, los cambios en las concentraciones de potasio en el seguimiento y los factores asociados. Métodos. Pacientes con insuficiencia cardiaca aguda (n = 881) y crónica (n = 3.587) seleccionados en 28 hospitales españoles del registro europeo de insuficiencia cardiaca de la European Society of Cardiology y seguidos 1 año para diferentes desenlaces, incluidos cambios en las cifras de potasio y su impacto en el tratamiento. Resultados. La hiperpotasemia (K+ > 5,4 mEq/l) está presente en el 4,3% (IC95%, 3,7-5,0%) y el 8,2% (6,5-10,2%) de los pacientes con insuficiencia cardiaca crónica y aguda; causa el 28,9% de todos los casos en que se contraindica el uso de antagonistas del receptor de mineralocorticoides y el 10,8% de los que no alcanzan la dosis objetivo. Del total de 2.693 pacientes ambulatorios con fracción de eyección reducida, 291 (10,8%) no tenían registrada medición de potasio. Durante el seguimiento, 179 de 1.431 (12,5%, IC95%, 10,8-14,3%) aumentaron su concentración de potasio, aumento relacionado directamente con la edad, la diabetes mellitus y los antecedentes de ictus e inversamente con los antecedentes de hiperpotasemia. Conclusiones. Este trabajo destaca el problema de la hiperpotasemia en pacientes con insuficiencia cardiaca de la práctica clínica habitual y la necesidad de continuar y mejorar la vigilancia de este factor en estos pacientes por su interferencia en el tratamiento óptimo