Geographic Information System as a contribution to the use of rock powder from the Serra Geral formation in areas of wine geographical indication in Brazil
Brazilian areas of wine geographical indication seek for the sustainable development of their production. The use of rock powder as well as stonemeal practices may contribute to the remineralization of soils and plant nutrition, which can add value to the final product. However, the use of stonemeal is still incipient in these wine-producing regions. Possible reasons for this may include a lack of information regarding the identification of sources of these materials for stonemeal, as well as, the distance of the sources to the farms. The research institution Embrapa Uva e Vinho (Embrapa Grape and Wine) has a detailed survey of areas of wine geographical indication in places such as: Vale dos Vinhedos, Monte Belo, Pinto Bandeira, Altos Montes and Farroupilha, which are all located in the wine region of Serra Gaúcha in Rio Grande do Sul state. The research company Geological Survey of Brazil (CPRM) has also done an extensive survey of agromineral sources in several lithotypes of Serra Geral formation in Rio Grande do Sul state, identifying materials that best provide nutrients for the plants. In the substrate of the wine region of Serra Gaúcha, there are rocks classified as Fácies Caxias and Gramado da Formação Serra Geral, which have variations along with the spills. A geographic information system was built with the purpose of creating a geo-referenced database of wine production, including source areas of stonemeal material, and also establishing the distances to the vineyards. Geoprocessing techniques were applied by combining the above-mentioned attributes and using the free software gvSIG. The area of geographical indication Altos Montes, located in the cities of Flores da Cunha and Nova Pádua, Rio Grande do Sul state, was studied in order to determine more favorable areas for obtaining rock powder for wine farm production.
