Unravel the underlying mechanisms of delaying ripening techniques in grapevine

AIM: Tawny Port wine is produced in the Douro Demarcated Region by blending several fortified wines in different aging stages. During the aging process in small wood barrels, the red wine color progressively develops into tawny, medium tawny, or light tawny.

Les aires d’appellations de la Côte d’Or résultent d’une sélection humaine empirique, historique et évolutive en adéquation avec les facteurs naturels. Afin de comprendre quels facteurs naturels et humains agissent sur le caractère et l’évolution des terroirs des Côtes de Nuits et de Beaune, une méthodologie de recherche a été développée. Elle s’articule autour de deux axes, la caractérisation physique des lieux-dits viticoles et l’historicité de la qualité de ces lieux-dits. Le travail avec un S.I.G permet d’étudier l’évolution spatiale et temporelle de la qualité.

In a context of sustainable agriculture, “agroecological immunity” is an emerging concept to reduce the use of chemical pesticides to protect crops against pathogens. This alternative strategy aims to combine different levers including the use of “bio”solutions. These include biocontrol products, some of which being plant defense elicitors, as well as products authorized in organic farming such as copper or sulfur. In vineyards, depending on climate conditions, powdery and downy mildews can be devastating diseases.

Rotundone accumulation and biosynthesis is a complicated process. Previous research highlighted that these phenomenons were affected under ecophysiological conditions by viticultural practices (e.g. defoliation or irrigation). Individually, these practices often impact several abiotic factors that are difficult to separate such as temperature, water or nitrogen status, or radiation. Such dissociation can be achieved under controlled environmental conditions using potted vines.

Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPN) are well-known biological control agents combined with specific adjuvants that now allow their use against aerial pests. Lobesia botrana (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) is one of the major harmful pests detected in worldwide vineyards. Previous studies demonstrated that the EPNs Steinernema feltiae and S. carpocapsae could control L. botrana. The hypothesis was that the best combination of EPN-adjuvant/timing (season/temperatures) will support the use of EPN in the vineyard against L. botrana with no impact on the grape performance.