Entomopathogenic nematodes application for controlling Lobesia botrana in grapevine and their impact on grapevine quality 

The presence of acetic acid bacteria in wine can lead to the appearance of acetic acid at concentrations above the perception threshold, causing the wine rejection by the consumer. During the winemaking process, avoiding the presence of acetic acid bacteria is very difficult, as there is always a residual population accompanying the wine[1], and the problem arises with the significant development of these microorganisms that metabolizes large amounts of acetic acid.
The concern of wineries to control the presence of acetic acid bacteria in wines during their conservation is due to the absence of simple and effective analyses that allow the detection of these microorganisms in the initial stages.

The fortress of the Herodium, built towards the end of the first century BCE/ante Cristo, on the orders of Herod the Great, Roman client king of Judea, attests the expansion of Roman influence in the eastern Mediterranean. During archaeological excavations of the Herodium in 2017[1], a winery was discovered on the ground floor of the palace, with an assortment of clay vessels in situ, including large dolia – clay fermentation vessels each capable of fermenting up to 300-400 L of wine. Thanks to the recent progresses in the field of paleogenomics[2], we could analyse the organic material consistent with grape pomace at the bottom of these vessels, by extracting and sequencing the DNA using shotgun metagenomics and targeted capture, aiming for enrichment of DNA from fermentation associated microbes.

The use of grapevine genetic diversity is a way to mitigate the negative impacts of climate change on viticulture systems. Leaf epidermal flavonoids (including flavonols and anthocyanins) are involved in plant defense mechanisms against environmental stresses, like high temperatures or excessive solar radiation [1,2]. Among other factors, they modulate light absorption, which reduces photoinhibition processes in photosynthetic tissues [1]. Therefore, the identification of grapevine cultivars with an increased content on leaf epidermal flavonoids arises as a potential avenue to improve grapevine tolerance to some detrimental environmental stresses.

The barrel-making process is widely recognized as a crucial practice that affects the composition of barrel-aged wine. After the drying process, the staves are considered ready for barrel assembly, which includes the processes of bending and toasting the barrel structure. Toasting is considered one of the most critical stages in determining the physical and chemical composition of the staves, which can influence the chemical and sensory composition of the wine aged in barrels made from them [1].

Proper soil health assessments are crucial for sustainable cropland. Among the widely employed approaches, evaluating nematode community structure is particularly suitable. Traditionally, the taxonomic characterization of soil nematodes has relied on time-consuming morphology-based methods requiring experienced experts. However, molecular tools like high-throughput sequencing have emerged as efficient alternatives. In this study, we performed a metataxonomic analysis of soil samples collected from 57 vineyards in the DOCa Rioja region of Northern Spain, focusing on the impact of organic viticulture and cover cropping compared to integrated pest management (IPM) and tilling practices.