Exploring zoxamide sensitivity in Plasmopara viticola populations: implications for fungicide management in precision agriculture

The wine-making process generates numerous by-products at each stage (crushing, fermentation, ageing), including wine lees, which account for almost 25% of the total quantity.

Crops are facing increasing biotic and abiotic stress pressures due to global changes. However, trade-off mechanisms between these stresses and the underlying physiological processes are still poorly understood, especially in perennial crop species. To better understand these trade-offs, we studied the effect of drought on grapevine (Vitis vinifera) physiology and esca-related wood fungal communities. Esca is a vascular disease caused by a community of wood-infecting pathogenic fungi, and characterized by trunk necrosis, leaf scorch symptoms, yield losses, and mortality.

The introduction into the Italian wine supply chain of the latest generation of fungi-resistant grapevine varieties, endowed with a greater or lesser strong resistance to downy and powdery mildews, represents a valid tool of making viticulture more sustainable, particularly in northern regions of the peninsula, where climatic conditions accentuate the pressure of fungal diseases. However, the affirmation of resistant varieties is a function of their agronomic value, as well as of their oenological and sensorial value. The purpose of this study was to evaluate in detail the sensory potential of the new resistant varieties, in order to understand their real possibility of inclusion in the modern global enological context.

The plant rhizosphere microbial communities are an essential component of plant microbiota, which is crucial for sustaining the production of healthy crops. The main drivers of the composition of such communities are the growing environment and the planted genotype. Recent viticulture studies focus on understanding the effects of these factors on soil microbial composition since microbial biodiversity is an important determinant of plant phenotype, and of wine’s organoleptic properties. Microbial biodiversity of different wine regions, for instance, is an important determinant of wine terroir.

Wine aroma is a crucial quality criterion. A multitude of volatile compounds have been identified and correlated to the aroma attributes perceived in wine.