Data deluge: Opportunities, challenges, and lessons of big data in a multidisciplinary project

Cover crops are increasingly considered in Mediterranean climate vineyards due to a combination of agronomic and regulatory considerations. However, the soil under the vines themselves is typically kept free of vegetation by mechanical plowing or herbicide spraying. Taking into account that these practices may convey a number of non-favourable economic and environmental implications, and the fact that drip irrigation can ease the use of cover crops under the vines, the aim of this work was to evaluate the agronomic implications and the changes in soil physical and biological properties caused by an under-vine cover crop in a Mediterranean area.

Context and purpose of the study. Leaf osmotic adjustment (i.e., active accumulation of osmolytes in the cells) has been reported in grapevines in response to drought and as a natural process throughout the growing season (seasonal osmotic adjustment).

In the face of climate change, new grapevine varieties will have to show an adaptive phenotypic plasticity to maintain production with erratic water resources, and still ensure the quality of the final product. Their selection requires a better knowledge of the genetic basis of those traits and of the elementary processes involved in their variability. ‘PlastiVigne’, an emblematic project of the Vinid’Occ key challenge, funded by the Occitanie Region (France), tackles this issue with innovative genomic and physiological tools implemented on a unique panel of grape genetic resources representing the genetic diversity of Vitis vinifera. A graph-pangenome is developed from a representative set of high-quality genomes to study the extent and impact of structural genome variations and chromosomal rearrangements in the rapid adaptation capacity of grapevine.

The frequency of water deficits is increasing in many grape-growing regions due to climate change.

Grapevines interact with the climate (aboveground) and the soil (belowground), affecting the characteristics of winegrapes produced. These interactions are impacted by climate change, the erosion of biodiversity, and losses of soil organic matter (SOM).