Terroir 1996 banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 La vinicultura en regiones tropicales Brasileras

La vinicultura en regiones tropicales Brasileras

Abstract

La producción mundial de uvas para mesa es obtenida de viñedos localizados entre los paralelos 30 y 50º Latitud Norte y 30 y 40º Latitud Sur.
En el Brasil, algunos de los principales estados productores (São Paulo, Bahia, Pernambuco y Minas Gerais) están localizados abajo de las latitudes citadas.
Durante las últimas décadas, en cuanto la producción vitícola de las regiones brasileñas tradicionales (Rio Grande do Sul, São Paulo, Paraná y Santa Catarina) permaneció estable, las regiones tropicales experimentaron una expansión apreciable en el área cultivada, con destaque especial para el Valle del Rio São Francisco (Bahia y Pernambuco) y el Nordeste Paulista (São Paulo).
En estas regiones el desarrollo de la viticultura fue alcanzado gracias al gran esfuerzo de la investigación y del sector productivo en la generación y adaptación de nuevas técnicas, característica que situó la viticultura tropical entre las tecnológicamente mas avanzadas.
Actualmente, cerca de 10.000 ha de uvas finas para mesa son cultivadas en el Brasil, cuja producción está próxima a los 30 millones de cajas de 7 Kg. Las áreas mas importantes del cultivo se localizan en los estados de São Paulo (2.890 ha), Bahia y Pernambuco (4.000), Paraná (2.600) y Minas Gerais (400).
El Estado de São Paulo concentra su producción en dos zonas, São Miguel Arcanjo y Nordeste Paulista.
La zona de São Miguel Arcanjo, localizada en el sur del estado es la productora más tradicional de uvas finas de Brasil con un área de cultivo estable de cerca de 2000 ha, donde predomina el cultivo de la variedad Itália y sus mutaciones. Aunque con invierno (frio y seco) prolongado que permite una abundante brotación, el verano caliente y húmedo dificulta la cosecha, cujas uvas sin embargo son de buena calidad, lo que permite, inclusive, su exportación para Europa.
La viticultura del Nordeste Paulista, concentrada en la región de Jales, aunque reciente (20 años) ya presenta cerca de 1.000 ha cultivadas con uvas finas para mesa.
El clima de la región (Tabla 1) es de invierno seco y ameno y verano caliente y lluvioso. La tecnología desarrollada para el cultivo de uvas finas, en estas condiciones climáticas, basada en la doble poda anual de ramas leñosas (poda de producción — febrero a junio y poda de renovación — julio a diciembre), origina la producción en la temporada de baja cosecha (junio — diciembre en el hemisfério sur). Con resultados económicos favorables, los vinicultores buscan constantemente innovaciones tecnológicas, con el objetivo de mejorar la calidad de las uvas producidas. La utilización de reguladores de crecimiento, desbaste de frutillos, cobertura de los viñedos con “sombrite”, riego y un intenso programa de control de enfermedades y plagas son prácticas obligatorias.
El cultivo de las uvas finas para mesa implantado en el Valle del Rio São Francisco (Bahia y Pernambuco) es el que presenta mayores posibilidades de expansión. Esta región, la más árida del Brasil, tiene precipitaciones pluviométricas anuales entre 300 y 500 mm, distribuidos normalmente entre los meses de noviembre y febrero.
Gracias a las condiciones climáticas locales (Tabla 1), con calor y sequía durante prácticamente todo el año y con la disponibilidad de agua para riego, es posible producir 5 cosechas en dos años, en una misma área y lo que es más importante, en cualquier día del año.
La tecnología disponible, como muestran muchos proyectos, ha propiciado la producción de uvas de alta calidad que son comercializadas en los mercados europeos principalmente entre los meses de octubre a enero.

DOI:

Publication date: February 24, 2022

Issue: Terroir 2000

Type: Article

Authors

Fernando Mendes Pereira, Aparecida Conceição Boliani

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Terroir 2000

Citation

Related articles…

Assessing the relationship between cordon strangulation, dieback, and fungal trunk disease symptom expression

Grapevine trunk diseases including Eutypa dieback are a major factor in the decline of vineyards and may lead to loss of productivity, reduced income, and premature reworking or replanting. Several studies have yielded results indicating that vines may be more likely to express symptoms of vascular disease if their health is already compromised by stress. In Australia and many other wine-growing regions it is a common practice for canes to be wrapped tightly around the cordon wire during the establishment of permanent cordon arms. It is likely that this practice may have a negative effect on health and longevity, as older cordons that have been trained in this manner often display signs of decay and dieback, with the wire often visibly embedded within the wood of the cordon. It is possible that adopting a training method which avoids constriction of the vasculature of the cordon may help to limit the onset of vascular disease symptom expression. A survey was conducted during the spring of two consecutive growing seasons on vineyards in South Australia displaying symptoms of Eutypa lata infection when symptomless shoots were 50–100 cm long. Vines were assessed as follows: (i) the proportion of cordon exhibiting dieback was rated using a 0–100% scale; (ii) the proportion of canopy exhibiting foliar symptoms of Eutypa dieback was rated using a 0–100% scale; (iii) the severity of strangulation was rated using a 0–4 point scale. Images were also taken of each vine for the purpose of measuring plant area index (PAI) using the VitiCanopy App. The goal of the survey was to determine if and to what extent any correlation exists between severity of strangulation and cordon dieback, in addition to Eutypa dieback foliar symptom expression.

The combined effects of climate, soils, and deficit irrigation on yield and quality of Touriga Nacional under high atmospheric demand in the Douro Region

Global warming is one of the biggest environmental, social and economic threats in several viticultural regions. In the Douro Valley, changes are expected in the coming years, namely an increase in temperature and a decrease in precipitation. These changes are likely to have consequences for the production and quality of wine.
The aim of this study was to explore the effects of different soil characteristics combined with several deficit irrigation strategies, managed throughout ETc references and predawn leaf water potentials thresholds, on physiology, yield, and qualitative attributes on the Touriga Nacional variety under years of mild to severe water and heat stress.
The studies were conducted over seven years (2015 to 2021) in two plots of a commercial vineyard located at Quinta do Ataíde (Symington Family Estates) planted in 2011 and 2014 at 170 meters elevation, growing under three water regimes: non-irrigated (NI) and two deficit irrigation strategies (30% and 60% ETc) assessed weekly by Ψpd. The site has an annual rainfall below 500 mm, with high atmospheric demand. Climate data was collected from a weather station, located on site. Berry ripening was followed weekly for fruit analysis. At harvest, yield, vigour and pruning weight per vine were determined from 90 vines by treatment. Each season at veraison the NDVI Index was accessed by a drone. The soils physic-chemistry in the experimental blocs were analysed and grouped by SWHC. Delta C-13 analyses were also performed per treatment in two years.Irrigation had a positive effect on yield per vine, mostly due to an increase in berry and cluster weight, and fertility index through the years. A significant increase in sugar content, colour and phenols was observed with deficit irrigation in some years, but vine vigour related to soil characteristics had by far the greatest impact on quality.

Updating the Winkler index: An analysis of Cabernet sauvignon in Napa Valley’s varied and changing climate

This study aims to create an updated, agile viticultural climate index (similar to the Winkler Index) by performing in-depth analyses of current and historical data from industry partners in several major winegrowing regions. The Winkler Index was developed in the early twentieth century based on analysis of various grape-growing regions in California. The index uses heat accumulation (i.e. Growing Degree Days) throughout the growing season to determine which grape varieties are best suited to each region. As viticultural regions are increasingly subject to the complexity and uncertainty of a changing climate, a more rigorous, agile model is needed to aid grape growers in determining which cultivars to plant where. For the first phase of this study, 21 industry partners throughout Napa Valley shared historical phenology, harvest, viticultural practice, and weather data related to their Cabernet sauvignon vineyard blocks. To complement this data, berry samples were collected throughout the 2021 growing season from 50 vineyard blocks located throughout 16 American Viticultural Areas that were then analyzed for basic berry chemistry and phenolics. These blocks have been mapped using a Geographic Information System (GIS), enabling analysis of altitude, vineyard row orientation, slope, and remotely sensed climate data. Sampling sites were also chosen based on their proximity to a weather station. By analyzing historical data from industry partners and data specifically collected for this study, it is possible to identify key parameters for further analysis. Initial results indicate extreme variability at a high spatial resolution not currently accounted for in modern viticultural climate indices and suggest that viticultural practices play a major role. Using the structure of data collection and analyses developed for the first phase, this project will soon be expanded to other wine regions globally, while continuing data collection in Napa Valley.

Analysis of some environmental factors and cultural practices that affect the production and quality of the Manto Negro, Callet and Prensal Blanc varieties

45 non irrigated vineyards distributed in the DO (Denomination) Pla i Llevant de Mallorca and the DO Binissalem Mallorca were used to investigate the characteristics of production and quality and their relationships certain environmental factors and cultural practices. The grape varieties investigated are autochthonous to the island of Mallorca, Manto Negro and Callet as red and Prensal Blanc as white. All plants were measured for four consecutive years in the main production and quality parameters. Among the environmental factors, the type of soil has been studied, more specifically its water retention capacity, the planting density, the age of the vineyard and the level of viral infection. The presence or absence of virus seems to have no effect on any component studied in the varieties studied. For the white variety Prensal Blanc age is negatively correlated with production and the number of bunches, nevertheless it does not cause any effect on the required quality parameters. However, for the red varieties Callet and Manto Negro, the age of the plantation is the variable that best correlates with the quality parameters, therefore the old vines should be the object of preservation by the viticulturists and winemakers in order to guarantee its contribution to the quality of the wines made with these varieties.

Rapid damage assessment and grapevine recovery after fire

There is increasing scientific consensus that climate changeis the underlying cause of the prolonged dry and hot conditions that have increased the risk of extreme fire weather in many countries around the world. In December 2019, a bushfire event occurred in the Adelaide Hills, South Australia where 25,000 hectares were burnt and in vineyards and surrounding areas various degrees of scorching and infrastructure damage occurred. The ability to coordinate and plan recovery after a fire event relies on robust and timely data. The current practice for measuring the scale and distribution of fire damage is to walk or drive the vineyard and score individual vines based on visual observation. The process is time consuming, subjective, or semi-quantitative at best. After the December 2019 fires, it took many months to access properties and estimate the area of vineyard damaged. This study compares the rapid assessment and mapping of fire damage using high-resolution satellite imagery with more traditional ground based measures. Satellite imagery tracking vineyard recovery in the season following the bushfire is being correlated to field assessments of vineyard productivity such as canopy health and development, fertility and carbohydrate storage. Canopy health in the seasons following the fires correlated to the severity of the initial fire damage. Severely damaged vines had reduced canopy growth, were infertile or had very low fertility as well as lower carbohydrate levels in buds and canes during dormancy, which reduced productivity in the seasons following the bushfire event. In contrast, vines that received minor damage were able to recover within 1-2 years. Tools that rapidly and affordably capture the extent and severity of damage over large vineyard area will allow producers, government and industry bodies to manage decisions in relation to fire recovery planning, coordination and delivery, improving the efficiency and effectiveness of their response.