Correlation between agronomic performance and resistance gene in PIWi varieties in the field

Vitis vinifera L. is the main European grapevine species used for wine production. It is characterized by the production of grapes and wines with unique organoleptic properties, distinguished by high quality and the absence of strong “foxy” aromas.

The wine industry faces the consumer’s increasing demand for a sustainable and environmentally-friendly production [1]. This demand has been shared and boosted by the European Union within the European Green Deal in the Farm to Fork strategy that aims to reduce a 50% the pesticide utilisation in farming systems. Among the agronomical approaches so far proposed, the use of mould resitant hybrid varieties -based on crossings of Vitis vinifera with other Vitis spp [2]- with a high tolerance to the attack of vine patogens is gaining the vinegrowers attention and the production area is continuously increasing

In recent years, wine consumption has been evolving towards new trends. On the one hand, awareness of health and responsible consumption has been growing, and with it, the demand for wines with lower or without alcohol content [1].

The consequences of the global climate change in the vitiviniculture are revealed as a gap between phenolic and technological grape maturities, higher grape sugar concentration that leads to high wine alcohols levels, lower acidities and high pH values, among others. The unbalanced phenolic maturity caused in this scenario leads to harsh astringency and to instable colour of wines. Previous studies have reported that the addition of yeast mannoproteins (MPs) to wines may have positive effects on these two organoleptic properties due to their capability to interact with wine polyphenols [1]; however, studies about the effect of the pH on these interactions have not been carried out so far.

The cultivated vine (Vitis vinifera) is the main species cultivated in the world to make wine. In 2017, the world wine market represents 29 billion euros in exports, and France contributes 8.2 billion (28%) to this trade, making it a traditional market of strategic importance. Viticulture is therefore a key sector of the French agricultural economy. It is in this context that the nutritional diagnosis of the vine is of real strategic interest to winegrowers. Indeed, the fertilization of the vine is a tool for the winegrower that allows him to influence and regulate the quality of the wine.