Advancing grapevine science through genomic research

Foreseeing climatic changes, the abnormally hot and dry year of 2005 can be revealer of some varieties behavior in different climatic conditions.

Alteration of sap pH is one of the first chemical changes that occurs within the xylem vessels of plants exposed to drought. Xylem sap acidification accompanied by the accumulation of soluble sugars has been recently documented in several species (Sharp and Davis, 2009; Secchi and Zwieniecki, 2016). Here, Vitis vinifera plants of the anysohydric cultivar Barbera were exposed to either short (no irrigation; SD) or to prolonged drought (continual reduction of 10% water; PD). When comparable severe stress was reached, the potted grapes were re-watered. SD was characterized by fast (2–3 days) stomatal closure and high abscisic acid (ABA) accumulation in xylem sap (>400 μg L−1) and in leaf. In PD plants, the rise in ABA levels was considerably diminished.

Evoquer la notion de durabilité pour la vigne, plante multimillénaire, et le vin, tous deux intimement liés aux origines de notre civilisation, peut paraître un non-sens.

Since 1996, we study the soil in viticulture, specially in the South of France. In the field, we delimit soil units and observe soil profiles and take samples to analyse its physical, mineral, organic and microbial mass composition

The concept of Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) is based on the existence of a link between the characteristics of the terroir and the quality and typicality of the production (DELAS, 2000). If for a long time, this link only appeared as the fruit of empiricism, the research undertaken recently has made it possible to scientifically establish the complex relationships between the functioning of natural environments and the ability to produce quality.