The 1000 grapevine genomes project: Cataloguing Australia’s grapevine germplasm

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.

Implementing alternative grapevine systems that incorporate sustainable strategies and innovative farming practices is essential. However, we lack tools for measuring the impact of these new practices on the overall sustainability of vineyards. DEXi PM Vigne (Gary et al., 2015) is a tool developed for ex ante assessment of the sustainability of grapevine cropping systems, from the plot to the farm scale. In the present study, we focused on implementing new strategies of integrated crop protection management with limited pesticide use in vineyards.

Remote sensing technology captures spectral data beyond the visible range, making it useful for monitoring plant stress. Vis-NIR (Visible-Near Infrared) spectroscopy (400-1000 nm) is commonly used to indirectly assess plant status during drought. One example is the widespread use of normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) that is strongly linked to green biomass. However, a knowledge gap exists regarding the applicability of this method to all the drought conditions and if it is a direct correlation to the water status of the plant.

Grapes are one of the world’s primary fruit crops, and pruning activities generate high amounts of annual wood wastes [1]. These pruning shoots contain valuable phenolic compounds and could have numerous potential applications [1,2]. Consequently, the aim of this work was to evaluate the physico-chemical properties of vine pruning residues with potential as enological additives. For this purpose, grapevine shoots from 12 varieties grown in Chile were collected during the winter of 2021.

Measuring the effect of oxygen consumption on the color of wines as the level of dissolved oxygen decreases over time is very useful to know how much oxygen a wine can consume without significantly altering its color. The changes produced in wine after being exposed to high oxygen concentrations have been studied by different authors, but in all cases the wine has been analyzed once the oxygen consumption process has been completed. This work presents the results obtained with the use of an equipment designed and made to measure simultaneously the level of dissolved oxygen and the spectrum of the wine, during the oxygen consumption process from saturation levels with air to very low levels, which indicate the total consumption of the dosed oxygen[1,2].