Terroir 2004 banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 The role of the landscape as a component of the terroir in Spain (DO Somontano, NE Spain)

The role of the landscape as a component of the terroir in Spain (DO Somontano, NE Spain)

Abstract

The components and methodology for characterization of the terroir in Spain have been described by Gómez-Miguel et al. (2003), Sotés et al. (2003), taking into account the full range of environmental factors (i.e: climate, vegetation, topography, soils, altitude, etc.), landscape variables (derived from photo-interpretation and a digital elevation model), and variables specific to the country’s viticulture (i.e: size and distribution of the vineyards, varieties, phenology, productivity, quality, designation regulations, etc.). This paper describes the integration of the resulting database in a Geographic Information System (G.I.S.) that allows the spatial and statistical analysis of all variables; the parametric system of variable quantification; the selection of main endogenous and exogenous variables for terroir characterization; and the role of the variables that describe the landscape in the final results. The analysis has been carried out on over 1.8 million ha. This paper presents the results of a case study in the county “Somontano” that covers an expanse of 142,000 ha and includes 4,173 ha of vineyards. The observed distribution of vineyards in this county is correlated to the integrated landscape-terrain classification and productivity but does not depend on the total available area for cultivation. It is significant that a subset of geological formations that accounts for 45 percent of the total area sustains over 90 percent of the vineyards.
The results of the study have general implications for landscape-terrain classification in Spain and define a set of methodological guidelines. These guidelines refer to:
a) Definition of the set of variables that define the landscape: characterization of the lithological and morphological components; homogenization of lithological units; cartography of the geological formations; integration of a digital elevation model to derive altitude, orientation, exposure, and slope. The spatial scale should be at least 1:25.000.
b) Definition of the Homogeneous Land Units (HLU): The parameter characterization was carried out from the units which were previously defined from the data of the environmental analysis.
c) Experimental design: Selection of Homogeneous Land Units and characterization within the units.
d) Final zoning: Integration of the Homogeneous Land Unit with the plant (variety and rootstock) and the product (must and wine).

Related articles…

Effect on the grape and wine characteristics of cv. Tempranillo at 3 production levels

The vineyard has experienced a general increase in yields mainly due to the elevated use of technology which caused a quality loss of grapes in more than one case. A large percentage of the Spanish vineyard is covered by a Denomination of Origin which limits the productive level of the vineyards as one of its regulations. The maximum production limit is a variable characteristic of each vineyard and is not usually regulated by agronomic criteria, and this explains the fact that each vineyard can reach high quality with a totally different yield from that set by the Denomination of Origin.

The potential of multispectral/hyperspectral technologies for early detection of “flavescence dorée” in a Portuguese vineyard

“Flavescence dorée” (FD) is a grapevine quarantine disease associated with phytoplasmas and transmitted to healthy plants by insect vectors, mainly Scaphoideus titanus. Infected plants usually develop symptoms of stunted growth, unripe cane wood, leaf rolling, leaf yellowing or reddening, and shrivelled berries. Since plants can remain symptomless up to four years, they may act as reservoirs of FD contributing to the spread of the disease. So far, conventional management strategies rely mainly on the insecticide treatments, uprooting of infected plants and use of phytoplasma-free propagation material. However, these strategies are costly and could have undesirable environmental impacts. Thus, the development of sustainable and noninvasive approaches for early detection of FD and its management are of great importance to reduce disease spread and select the best cultural practices and treatments. The present study aimed to evaluate if multispectral/hyperspectral technologies can be used to detect FD before the appearance of the first symptoms and if infected grapevines display a spectral imaging fingerprint. To that end, physiological parameters (leaf area, chlorophyll content and photosynthetic rate) were collected in concomitance to the measurements of plant reflectance (using both a portable apparatus and a remote sensing drone). Measurements were performed in two leaves of 8 healthy and 8 FD-infected grapevines, at four timepoints: before the development of disease symptoms (21st June); and after symptoms appearance (ii) at veraison (2nd August); at post-veraison (11th September); and at harvest (25th September). At all timepoints, FD infected plants revealed a significant decrease in the studied physiological parameters, with a positive correlation with drone imaging data and portable apparatus analyses. Moreover, spectra of either drone imaging and portable apparatus showed clear differences between healthy and FD-infected grapevines, validating multispectral/ hyperspectral technology as a potential tool for the early detection of FD or other grapevine-associated diseases.

SKIN AND SEED EXTRACTS DIFFERENTLY BEHAVE TOWARDS SALIVARY PROTEINS

[lwp_divi_breadcrumbs home_text="IVES" use_before_icon="on" before_icon="||divi||400" module_id="publication-ariane" _builder_version="4.19.4" _module_preset="default" module_text_align="center" text_orientation="center" custom_margin="65px||18px||false|false"...

Caractérisation de la dynamique d’accumulation des sucres à l’échelle d’un territoire

Dans le cadre de TerclimPro 2025, Laure de Rességuier a présenté un article IVES Technical Reviews. Retrouvez la présentation ci-dessous ainsi que l’article associé : https://ives-technicalreviews.eu/article/view/8495

Smoke taint: Understanding and addressing the compositional consequences of grapevine exposure to smoke

Climate change has become a major challenge for grape and wine production around the world