Unveiling the Grapevine Red Blotch Virus (GRBV) host-pathogen arms-race via multi-omics for enhanced viral defense 

In the last years the application of genomic tools to the analysis of gene expression during grape berry development generated a huge amount of transcriptomic data

A soil management and vine irrigation trial was carried out for 4 consecutive years from 2020 to 2023 at agroscope’s experimental vineyard in leytron (Valais, Switzerland) with the Chasselas grape variety (clone 14-33/4, grafted on 5bb). Two types of soil maintenance (bare soil with chemical weeding and sown grass) coupled with two water regimes (with and without drip irrigation from flowering to veraison) were compared in a randomized design with four replicates of 10 vines each.

The addition of partially dehydrated grapes to enrich must composition for producing complex dry/sweet wines represents a traditional practice in several regions of the world. However, the environmental conditions of dehydration chambers may facilitate the infection of Botrytis cinerea Pers. by promoting disease and provoking large grape losses. B. cinerea attack can induce alterations in the profile of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which could be detected by sensors specifically trained to detect infection/disease-related compounds. These sensors could facilitate the early detection of the infection, consequently allowing to adjust some dehydration parameters.

Context and purpose of the study. To date over 3,000 grapevine accessions have been collected at Fondazione Edmund Mach (FEM).

The Earth’s system is undergoing major changes through a wide range of spatial and temporal scales as a response to growing anthropogenic radiative forcing, which is pushing the whole system far beyond its natural variability. Sources of greenhouse gases largely exceed their sinks, thus leading to a strengthened greenhouse effect. More energy is thereby being supplied to the system, with inevitable shifts in climatic patterns and weather regimes. Over the last decades, these modifications have been manifested in the full statistical distributions of the atmospheric variables, with dramatic changes in the frequency and intensity of extremes. Natural hazards, such as severe droughts, floods, forest fires, or heatwaves, are being triggered by extreme atmospheric events worldwide, thus threatening human activities. Viticultculture is not only exposed to changing climates but is also highly vulnerable, as grapevine phenology and physiological development are strongly controlled by atmospheric conditions. Therefore, the assessment of climate change projections for a given region is critical for climate change adaptation and risk reduction in viticulture. By adopting timely and suitable measures, the future sustainability and resiliency of the sector can be fostered. Climate-grapevine chain modelling is an essential tool for better planning and management. However, the accuracy of the resulting projections is limited by many uncertainties that must be duly taken into account when transferring knowledge to stakeholders and decision-makers. Climate-smart viticulture will comprise ensembles of locally tuned strategies, envisioning both adaptation and mitigation, assisted by emerging technologies and decision-support systems.