Bilan hydrique: une méthode proposée pour l’évaluation des réserves hydriques dans le zonage viticole

In the context of the global crises of global warming, biodiversity and pollution, current agricultural practices need to be reconsidered.

The bunch rot induced by Botrytis cinerea is an important disease of grapevine that causes a diminution of grape quality and a considerable yield loss leading to an economic loss

Root architecture (RSA), the spatial-temporal arrangement of a root system in soil, is essential for edaphic resources acquisition by the plant, and thus contributes largely to its productivity and adaptation to environmental stresses, particularly soil water deficit. In grafted grapevine, while the degree of drought tolerance induced by the rootstock has been well documented in the vineyard, information about the underlying physiological processes, particularly at the root level, is scarce, due to the inherent difficulties in observing large root systems in situ. The aims of this study were (i) to determine the phenotypic differences in traits related to root distribution and morphology along the substrate profile in different Vitis rootstocks during early growth, (ii) to assess the plasticity of these traits to soil water deficit and (iii) to quantify their relationships with plant water uptake.

The mapping of spatial variability in vineyards offers the potential to implement zonal management strategies with the aim to optimize economic benefits and increase sustainability by managing natural resources, such as water used for irrigation, more optimally. This study characterized the (natural) variability in plant water status in a commercial Cabernet Sauvignon block, using remote sensing techniques, and identified the impact of this variability on the yield, and juice and wine composition. From the field data collected over two growing seasons, we demonstrated that remote sensing techniques are a practical and powerful tool for mapping spatial variability within vineyard blocks.

Practices in viticulture have greatly evolved in the last five decades. There were three objectives: improvement in the quality of the products, reduction in the production costs through mechanization