Decline of rootstock-mediated physiological responses in Tempranillo grapevines by prolonged extreme conditions

This study focuses on investigating the effects of climate change on the plant physiology and berries of Vitis vinifera cv “Monastrell” in a commercial vineyard managed organically in Southeastern Spain (Jumilla, Murcia). For this purpose, open top chambers and rainout shelters were employed to simulate warming (~2-7 ºC, W) and rainfall reduction (~30%, RR) respectively. Additionally, a combination of both treatments (W+RR) was employed. Vines without either top chambers or rainout shelters were considered as control (C). The experiment was established in February of 2023. Predawn leaf water potential (measured using a pressure chamber), stomatal conductance (assessed with a porometer at mid-morning) and leaf chlorophyll and flavonoid content (measured using the Dualex® leaf clip sensor) were analyzed at veraison (5 months after the installation of structures).

Soil management through cover crops can influence the cycle of nutrients, promote water infiltration, decrease erosion, and enhance the soil microbiota biodiversity, improving the grapevine performance. However, the area under the vines tends to be left bare by applying herbicides or tillage to avoid competition with the crop in semi-arid climates. Use of covers under-vine might be an alternative to these practices aiming at grapevine quality and soil health improvement. The aim of this research was to study the implications of soil management under the vines (cultivation and cover crops) on growth, yield, berry composition and soil microbial communities. A cover crop composed by a mixture of legumes was sown and compared with a control (cultivation), which includes frequent tillage to keep the soil bare, in three areas characterized by different edaphoclimatic conditions in the region of Navarra.

The notion of «terroir» refers to the link between the composition, quality and taste of a wine, on the one hand, and its place of origin, on the other. It involves, among other things, the signature of soil elements, as well as the influence of climatic conditions and plant material used. The composition of the wine is also influenced by the winemaking, storage and bottling processes. We were lucky enough to have a time series of the same champagne, from the end of the first world war to the present. On this exceptional time series, we followed, with the most advanced methods, all the elemental signatures by isotopic multi-dilution, the evolution of the isotopic ratios of heavy elements with very high precision of Sr, Pb, B and Cu.

Micro(mi)RNAs are small non-coding RNAs that regulate several pathways and are widely recognised as key players in plant development, tissue differentiation, and many other important physiological processes, including plant adaptation to biotic and abiotic stresses. The release of plant genomes and the application of high throughput sequencing have considerably extended miRNA discovery across many species, including grapevine (Vitis spp.). Despite their relevance in plant development, functional studies in grapevine to clarify the function of miRNAs are not yet available. Through the grapevine genetic improvement platform IMPROVIT at CNR-IPSP (http://www.ipsp.cnr.it/en/thematics/turin-headquarter-thematics/improvit/), we developed integrated approaches to discover miRNA function in grapevine.

Amarone is an Italian red wine produced in the Valpolicella area, in north-eastern Italy. Due to its elaboration with withered grapes