High throughput winter pruning weight estimation based on wood volume evaluation 

Aims: Wine typicity is defined as a reflection of varietal origins, cultures and traditions of the wine. These aspects are many times also extremely important when considering a wines quality. However, as climate change occurs the typicity of wines may also change. With the long history of winemaking it is possible to define a wines typicity and how it has changed as climate alters. 

In the Champagne vineyards, spring frosts are the cause of significant variations in the volume of the harvest which are very penalizing for the trade. This variability is reflected both in time (years without frost alternating with years with severe frosts) and in space. Certain sectors of the vineyard are in fact statistically more susceptible to frost than others, but each year no municipality can consider itself immune to this climatic accident. The objective of the study is precisely to analyze the spatial distribution of frost and to determine its main mechanisms, linked to the topography of the hillsides, their orientation but also to regional meteorological variables.

Obtaining high-quality RNA from grape tissues, including berry pulp, berry skins, stems, rachis, or roots, is challenging due to their composition, which includes polysaccharides, phenolic compounds, sugars, and organic acids that can negatively affect RNA extraction. For instance, polyphenols and other secondary metabolites can bind to RNA, making it difficult to extract a pure sample. Additionally, RNA can co-precipitate with polysaccharides, leading to lower extraction yield. Also, sugars and organic acids can interfere with the pH and ionic properties of the extraction buffer. To address these challenges, we optimized a protocol for RNA isolation from grape tissues.

Two treatments were studied in vines of cv. Tempranillo blanco (Vitis vinifera L.) during the 2012-2018 period in an experimental plot located in Rincón de Soto (La Rioja, Spain). Rainfed treatment (R0) was compared with respect to an irrigation treatment (R2) equivalent to 30% of the crop evapotranspiration (ET0) from fruitset to harvest phenological stages. Pre-veraison irrigation ranged from 43 (2014) to 66 mm/m2 (2018) while post-veraison irrigation ranged from 37 (2017) to 115 mm/m2 (2012).The normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) was assessed by measures of reflectance, nutrients were determined by analysis of petioles sampled at veraison, grape production was determined at harvest as well as renewable wood weight was assessed at pruning time.

Hairy roots (HRs) are a symptom of a natural genetic modification by the soil-borne phytopathogen Rhizobium rhizogenes.