Application of nitrogen forms such as nitrate, urea, and amino acids effects on leaf and berry physiology and wine quality

Recent advancements in genomic sequencing technologies have enabled more detailed and direct studies of DNA methylation, which can help characterise epigenetic variations in plants. The Grapevine Improvement team at the Bragato Research Institute is studying the use of Oxford Nanopore sequencing to identify epigenetic changes associated with environmental differences among clonally-propagated grapevines.

This study involved sequencing DNA from the same Sauvignon Blanc clone, sourced from diverse New Zealand viticultural regions, using the PromethION platform.

Climate has a predominant role on growth and development of grapevines. Therefore, climate change represents an important challenge to the winemaking sector.

The Txakoli, a white wine produced in the Basque Country (North of Spain), has recently gained popularity due to wine quality improvement and increase in both acreages of production and wine consumption. The aim of this study was to characterize the chemical and microbiological differences between Txakoli wines made with grapes from different sites.

The Pomerol vineyard, located 35 km east of Bordeaux, covers around 800 ha on the left bank of the Isle. There is a system of fluvial terraces with more or less coarse gravel and pebble spreading, resting on a Tertiary substratum ranging from the Middle to Upper Eocene to the Lower Oligocene (Dubreuilh, 1993). This interweaving of terraces of varying thickness results in a brutal superposition of differentiated materials which give rise to various types of soil. Several site studies in this sector of the Libounais show significant morphological and analytical differences from one point to another (Guilloux et al ., 1978; Duteau, 1982; Van Leeuwen et al.., 1989). The distribution of the soils of the Pomerol vineyard was studied and resulted in a cartography at 1/25000th (Merouge, 1995).

The dynamic evolution of some bioclimatic indices largely used to define the vocation of areas to grape growing was assessed over 43 years (1965-2007) in four sites of the Abruzzo Region (Central Italy).