Wine growing regions global climate analysis

In most viticultural regions, grapevines are cultivated grafted, employing either hybrid or pure species of various American Vitis spp., such as V. berlandieri, V. rupestris, and V. riparia, as grapevine rootstocks. These rootstocks play a crucial role in providing resistance to the Phylloxera insect pest. Beyond Phylloxera resistance, it is desirable for grapevine rootstocks to exhibit resistance to other soil-borne pathogens and adaptability to abiotic stress conditions. The introduction of new rootstocks holds promise for adapting agriculture to climate change without altering the characteristics of the final harvested product.

The northern root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne hapla) is one of the most prevalent plant-parasitic nematodes affecting Washington State Vitis vinifera vineyards. This nematode induces small galls on roots, restricting water and nutrient uptake. In new vineyards this can impede establishment. In existing vineyards, it can exacerbate decline in chronically stressed vines. While preplant fumigation is a common strategy for M. hapla management, its efficacy is temporary and relies on broad-spectrum chemicals that undergo frequent regulatory scrutiny. The trap crop litchi tomato (Solanum sisymbriifolium) showed promise in reducing plant-parasitic nematode densities in potato. This prompted field greenhouse experiments to evaluate its potential to reduce M. hapla in V. vinifera.

Context and purpose of the study. Croatia has rich grapevine genetic resources with more than 130 native varieties preserved.

AIM. Wine yeast lees constitute a winemaking by-product that, unlike grape skins and seeds, are not sufficiently exploited to add value to the winemaking sector, as their treatment and disposal generally represents a cost for wineries [1].

The recovery of ancestral or minority vine varieties has been gaining great interest in recent years, among other reasons because it is likely that some of these varieties, due to the fact that they are found in relict areas, have a greater potential for adaptation to external factors (biotic or abiotic) and can minimize the effects that climate change is causing in viticulture. Varieties that can be grown at altitude are currently being sought to combat rising temperatures and prolonged extreme drought conditions. In Catalonia, the Pyrenean expansion of vineyard cultivation is documented from the 10th century and has been related to the “small climatic optimum” (9th-12th centuries) and also to seigniorial power.[1] But different adverse climatic periods and the arrival of Phylloxera by the late 19th century made many of these crops disappear.[2]