The role of phytoplasma effector interaction with phosphoglucomutase in the pathogenicity of ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma solani’ in grapevine 

Grapevines are grown grafted in most viticultural regions. Grapevine rootstocks are either hybrids or pure species of different American Vitis spp. (particularly V. berlandieri, V. rupestris and V. riparia), which were primarily used to provide root resistance to the insect pest Phylloxera. In addition to Phylloxera resistance, grapevine rootstocks were also selected in relation their resistance to various abiotic stress conditions. Future rootstocks should have the potential to adapt viticulture to climate change without changing the characteristics of the harvested product. However, high grafting success rates are an essential prerequisite to be able to use them with all the varieties. The objective of this work is to develop quantitative techniques to characterize graft union formation in grapevine.

This study presents an investigation based on sensory analysis data of Spanish wines with geographical indications collected over a three-year period. Sensory analysis plays a crucial role in assessing the quality, characteristics, and perception of wines. The trained tasting panel at Dolmar Laboratory, accredited for objective sensory evaluation of wines since 2016, has been tasting over 5000 wines. However, it is since 2021, when a computer application for tastings was developed, that the digitalization of data allows for detailed statistical analysis of the results.

Bioactive polyphenols from grapes and wines, like stilbenes and flavonols (SaF), are often determined to nutritional evaluation, but also for many other purposes. The objective of this study was to quantify SaF in red wines from “Campanha Gaúcha”, a large and young viticultural region from South Brazil. Moreover, through statistical analysis, evaluate the influence of these compounds according to varieties, production process, harvest years and micro-regions of cultivation. A total of 58 samples of red wines were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to diode array detector (HPLC-DAD) for determination of trans-resveratrol (R), quercetin (Q), myricetin (M), kaempferol (K), trans-e-viniferin (V) and their precursor, cinnamic acid (C).

Knowledge of the nitrogen nutrition status of grapevines is essential for the sustainable management of their nutrition for the production of quality grapes. The measurement of the chlorophyll index is a rapid, non-destructive and relatively inexpensive method that provides a good approximation of the nitrogen nutrition status of the vine during the season. Interpretation thresholds are currently insufficient or non-existent for some chlorophyll meters. Ideally, they should be available for each variety and each phenological stage. In order to popularize the use of chlorophyll-meters, measurements were carried out at Agroscope in Switzerland to establish the correlation between the indices obtained by the devices N-tester and SPAD 502.

A solid feature of climate change is that the frequency and severity of weather extremes are increasing. Ranking European countries for the number of crop failures related to extreme events reports France on top followed by Italy and Spain (COM 2021).