The grapevine single-berry clock, practical tools and outcomes 

Ellagitannins (ETs) have been reported to be the main phenolic compounds found in oak wood. These compounds, belonging to the hydrolysable tannin class of polyphenols, are esters of hexahydroxydiphenic acid (HHDP) and a polyol, usually glucose or quinic acid. They own their name to their capacity to be hydrolysed and liberate ellagic acid and they have an impact on astringency and bitterness sensation, which is strongly dependant on their structure. The toasting phase is particularly crucial in barrels fabrication and influences wood composition.

Biodiversity conservation and restoration are essential for guarantee the provision of ecosystem services associated to vineyard agroecosystem such as climate regulation trough carbon sequestration and control of pests and diseases. Most of published research dealing with the complexity of the vineyard agroecosystems emphasizes the necessity of innovative approaches, including the integration of information at different temporal and spatial scales and development of systemic analysis based on modelling. A biodiversity survey was conducted in the Franciacorta wine-growing area (Lombardy, Italy), one of the most important Italian wine-growing regions for sparkling wine production, considering a portion of the territory of 112 ha. The area was divided into several Environmental Units (EUs), defined as a whole vineyard or portion of vineyard homogenous in terms of four agronomic characteristics: planting year, planting density, cultivar, and training system. In each EU a set of compartments was identified and characterised by specific variables. The compartments are meteorology, morphology (altitude, slope, aspect, row orientation, and solar irradiance), ecological infrastructures and management. The landscape surrounding EU was also characterised in terms of land-use in a buffer zone of 500 m. For each component a specific methodology was identified and applied. Different statistical approaches were used to evaluate the method to integrate the information related to different compartments within the EU and related to the buffer zone. These approaches were also preliminarily evaluated for their ability to describe the contribution of biodiversity and landscape components to ecosystem services. This methodological exploration provides useful indication for the development of a fully systemic approach to structural and functional biodiversity in vineyard agroecosystems, contributing to promote a multifunctional perspective for the all wine-growing sector.

Varietal innovation is a major lever for meeting the challenges of the agro-ecological transition of vi-neyards and their adaptation to climate change. To date, selection work has already begun in the Bordeaux region through the Newvine project. The aim of this project is to create new vine varieties with resistance to mildew and powdery mildew, adapted to the climatic conditions of the Bordeaux region and enabling the production of wines that are in line with consumer tastes and the expected typicity of Bordeaux wines.

AIM: Since 2012 the Veneto Region regulation (north-east Italy) allowed wine production using 20 hybrid grapevine varieties selected for their high tolerance to downy mildew and powdery mildew. Characterized by vigour, high grape productivity and low pesticide use, these varieties are suitable to develop sustainable viticulture in mountain areas located at medium altitudes.

In recent years, the application of plant protection unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in agricultural pest control has become more and more popular. However, there are few reports about the application of plant protection UAV for wine grapes, and there are no studies comparing the spraying effect of plant protection UAV with that of manual operation in vineyards. In this context, the objective of this study was to explore the feasibility of using plant protection UAV in vineyards instead of manual operations by evaluating the effectiveness of UAV spray in two common grape training systems in Northeast China.