Effect on the grape and wine characteristics of cv. Tempranillo at 3 production levels

Plant diseases are a major obstacle to crop production. The main approaches to battle plant diseases, consist of synthetic chemicals to attack infecting pathogens. However, concerns are increasing about the effects of chemicals in the environment, leading to an increase in the use of biocontrol agents (BCAs), due to their assets, such as, antagonism, and competition. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that the introduction of Bacillus subtilis PTA-271 (Bs PTA-271) and Trichoderma atroviride SC1 (Ta SC1) produce distinctive modifications in the composition and network structure of the grapevine rhizosphere microbial community, as well as grapevine induced defenses.

Botrytis cinerea has more than 1200 host plants and is one of the most important plant pathogens in viticulture. Under certain environmental conditions, it can lead to the development of a noble rot, which results in a specific metabolic profile, altering physical texture and chemical composition. The other microbes involved in this process and their functional genes are poorly characterised. We have generated metatranscriptomic [1,2] and DNA metabarcoding data from three months of the Furmint grape variety, representing the four phases of noble rot, from healthy berries to completely dried berries.

Modern agriculture employs large amounts of plastics, such as mulching and greenhouse films, thermal covers, plant protection tubes and tying tape. The latter two types are very common in viticulture. Guard tubes are employed to protect young vines from mechanic and atmospheric damage, whilst polymeric tying tape has replaced natural-origin materials to hold the canopy of vines. Both materials are made on synthetic polymers, which include a range of additives to improve their environmental stability remaining in the environment of vineyards for years. During this time, they are exposed to the range of pesticides (fungicides, insecticides and in a lesser extend herbicides) applied to vines.

Among the Moscato grapes, Moscato Giallo is a winegrape variety characterized by a high content of free and glycosylated monoterpenoids, which gives very aromatic wines. The aromatic bouquet of Moscato Giallo is strongly influenced by the high concentration of linalool, geraniol, linalool oxides, limonene, α-terpineol, citronellol, HO-trienol, HO-diols, 8-Hydroxylinalool, geranic acid and β-myrcene, that give citrus, rose, and peach notes.

Grape composition is strongly influenced by climate conditions. Their expected modifications in near future, notably because of increased temperatures, could significantly modify the biochemical composition of berries at harvest, and thus wine typicity and quality. Elevated temperatures favor sugar accumulation in grapes, enhance malic acid degradation and modify the amino acid content. They also reduce significantly anthocyanin accumulation in Merlot, leading to the imbalance between anthocyanins and sugars, while no significant effects on final anthocyanin levels were reported in Tempranillo[1] and finally affect aromas or aroma precursors.