The forchlorfenuron (CPPU) application is recommended in table-grape after fruit-set to boost berry sizing, albeit growers also apply CPPU during pre-flowering with controversial advantages. We examined the effect of single (BBCH 15) and double (BBCH 15 and 57) CPPU applications (2.25 mg/L a.s.) in a commercial vineyard. At each time, 75-100 bunches belonging to 6-9 vines were sprayed, and compared with unsprayed (CTRL). Leaf stomatal conductance (gs), cluster stem diameter and length were measured. At harvest, 25 berries/repetition were sampled for chemical composition, BSN incidence was counted (N° necrotic laterals/10 cm of stem) in 40 bunches/repetition. To test the role of air VPD on mineral composition, at BBCH 77, 50 CTRL clusters were bagged to induce a low VPD.

ÂThe natural abundance of carbon stable isotopes has been reported to be related to water availability in grapevines quite widely. In the case of nitrogen, the natural abundance of its stable isotopes is mainly affected by the nature of the source of nitrogen (organic vs. inorganic) used by the plant, though the bibliography available for grapevine is very scarce.

The sustainability of viticulture in response to climate change has been addressed mainly considering agronomic impacts, such as water management and diseases, either separately or together.
In grapevines, there is strong evidence that different genotypes respond differently to biotic and abiotic stresses. A screening was conducted on various local cultivars in response to drought and Neofusicoum parvum infection aiming to evaluate their susceptibility to abiotic stress and resistance to fungal diseases.

Grapevine is one of the world’s most important cultivated plants, domesticated from the wild vine over 11,000 years ago. The fungi associated with it are doubtless as old as the plant itself. Despite their co-evolution with the vine over the centuries, it was only with the invention of the microscope in the seventeenth century that fungi started to be recognised.

Grapevines are grown grafting in most viticultural regions. Grapevine rootstocks are either hybrids or pure species of different American Vitis spp. (particularly V. berlandieri, V. rupestris and V. riparia), which are primarily used to provide root resistance to the insect pest Phylloxera. In addition to Phylloxera resistance, ideally grapevine rootstocks should be resistant to other soil borne pathogens and adapted to abiotic stress conditions. New rootstocks have the potential to adapt agriculture to climate change without changing the characteristics of the harvested product. However, high grafting success rates are an essential prerequisite.