Enhancing hydric stress tolerance by editing the VviMYB60 promoter with CRISPR/Cas9 

Climate change impacts water availability for agriculture, notably in semi-arid regions like South Africa, necessitating research on cultivar and rootstock adaptability to water constraints. To evaluate the performance (vegetative and reproductive) of different Chenin Blanc-rootstock combinations to the two water regimes, a field experiment was established in a model vineyard at Stellenbosch University, South Africa. Chenin Blanc vines grafted onto four different rootstocks (110Richter, 99Richter, 1103Paulsen and US 8-7) were planted in 2020. The vines are managed under two contrasting water conditions – dryland and irrigated (industry norm).

The terroir offers great variability in the typicity of the wines produced. Following tastings integrating several vintages, the multiple factor analysis of the sensory data revealed a group of taste criteria contributing to the notion of “Power”, referenced “Power and Harmony”, which makes it possible to differentiate wines from various terroirs of the Middle Loire Valley (Pages et al ., 1987).

Mediterranean viticulture is increasingly exposed to more frequent extreme conditions such as heat waves. These extreme events co-occur with low soil water content, high air vapor pressure deficit and high solar radiant energy fluxes and result in leaf and berry sunburn, lower yield, and berry quality, which is a major constraint for the sustainability of the sector. Grape growers must find ways to proper and effectively manage heat waves and extreme canopy and berry temperatures. Irrigation to keep soil moisture levels and enable adequate plant turgor, and convective and evaporative cooling emerged as a key tool to overcome this major challenge. The effects of irrigation on soil and plant water status are easily quantifiable but the impact of irrigation on soil and canopy temperature and on heat convection from soil to cluster zone remain less characterized. Therefore, a more detailed quantification of vineyard heat fluxes is highly relevant to better understand and implement strategies to limit the effects of extreme weather events on grapevine leaf and berry physiology and vineyards performance. Low-cost sensor technologies emerge as an opportunity to improve monitoring and support decision making in viticulture. However, validation of low-cost sensors is mandatory for practical applicability. A two-year study was carried in a vineyard in Alentejo, south of Portugal, using low-cost thermal cameras (FLIR One, 80×60 pixels and FLIR C5, 160×120 pixels, 8-14 µm, FLIR systems, USA) and pocket thermohygrometers (Extech RHT30, EXTECH instruments, USA) to monitor grapevine and soil temperatures. Preliminary results show that low-cost cameras can detect severe water stress and support the evaluation of vertical canopy temperature variability, providing information on soil surface temperature. All these thermal parameters can be relevant for soil and crop management and be used in decision support systems.

The yeast Metschnikowia pulcherrima is a microorganism of great biotechnological interest, both for improving winemaking processes and for other applications outside the wine supply chain.

Global change in climate affect regional climates and hold implications for viticulture worldwide. Despite numerous studies on the impact of projected global warming on different regions