Exploiting somaclonal variability to increase drought stress tolerance in grapevine 

Comprehensive evaluation of grape composition at winery receiving areas often requires multiple measurements to ensure representativeness, as well as the use of analytical techniques that are time-consuming and involve sample preparation.

Nearly one third of the Herault vineyard (south of France) is planted on soils very sensitive to water runoff and erosion

Grapevine resilience to climate change has become one of the most pressing topics in the Viticulture & Enology field. Vineyard health demands understanding the mechanisms that explain the direct and indirect interactions between environmental stressors. The current climate change scenario, where drought and heat-wave are more frequent and intense, strongly demands improving our knowledge of environmental stresses. During a heatwave, the ambient temperature rises above the plant’s average tolerance threshold and, generally, above 35 oC plant’s adaptation to heat stress is activated.

Sono quattro i terni fondamentali di questo progetto: la sostenibilità; la conoscenza; la parte­cipazione come strumento anche di riduzione della burocrazia e il tema della coerenza delle politiche di settore e della collaborazione fra gli Enti.

The seasonal’s climatic conditions determine the composition of grapes at harvest as they affect the vine’s physiology and development. High temperatures during the grape ripening period cause a high accumulation of sugars and degradation of fruit acidity ,and alter the synthesis of polyphenols. Therefore, some vineyard management can be applied in order to modify grapevine impact on climate variability. One example is the pre-pruning at the beginning of grape ripening, which can delay the ripening period and modify the composition of the grapes at harvest. This work aims to evaluate the pre-pruning field technique on yield components and alcohol content in wines of Tannat and Merlot varieties.