Mapping and tracking canopy size with VitiCanopy

Viticulture is a major contributor to the antagonism of positive reputation and negative environmental impacts of agriculture. Vine contributes to structure landscape in the world, resulting, for example, in the delimitation of protected designations of origin (PDO). PDO vine is currently subject to the double challenge of sustainability and climate change adaptation. As vine is very sensitive to diseases and pests, vine requires a high use of pesticides to achieve its quality and yield goals. This high need for pesticides is the most important negative impact of environmental components.

Grape typicity valorization can significantly enhance viticultural sector competitiveness to the extent that contributes to the development of a wine so distinctive and unique. This work leads to the characterization of the grapes through indicators expressing environmental effects.

One of the main effects of global warming is an increase in the sugar concentration of grapes at harvest time, resulting in wines with a high alcohol content and an unbalanced structure. The fruit to leaf ratio is a key factor in determining the final sugar concentration, and training systems and management techniques can help to control this parameter.

Analisi sulle zonizzazioni storiche, sulle produzioni tipiche ed originali e sulla “forestazione classica” per impostare innovative zonazioni vitivinicole e dei prodotti tipici, originali attraverso la “Nuova forestazione storica produttiva”. Le recenti ricerche ed attività svolte sulle zonizzazioni storiche, sulle produzioni tipiche ed originali e sulla “forestazione classica” dei Monti Iblei (Ragusa) (I) hanno permesso di rilanciare le produzioni tipiche ed originali vitivinicole in un innovativo programma integrato tra zonazione (“Grande Zonazione”) e “Nuova forestazione storica produttiva” (“Grande Forestazione Produttiva”) di questo importante territorio.

Grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) exhibits a high level of genetic and phenotypic diversity among the approximately 6000 cultivars recorded. This perennial crop is highly vulnerable to numerous fungal diseases, including esca, which is a complex vascular pathology that poses a significant threat to the wine sector, as there is currently no cost-efficient curative method[1]. In this context, an effective approach to mitigate the impact of such diseases is by leveraging the crop’s genetic diversity. Indeed, susceptibility to esca disease appears to vary between cultivars, under artificial or natural infection. However, the mechanisms and varietal characteristics underlying cultivar susceptibility to esca are still unknown.