The role of vine trunk height in delaying grape ripening: insights for viticultural adaptation strategies

Over the last decade, much attention has been paid on the oxidative susceptibility of white wines, given its key role in determining their ageing potential.

The use of soil conservation practices in wine grape production is becoming common throughout the world in response to an increased awareness of the value of soil health to maintain crop productivity and environmental quality. However, little information is available on the meaning of soil health within a viticultural context, and what soil properties should be targeted to achieve both the agronomic and environmental goals of wine grape producers. Conservation practices lead to increases in soil organic matter which may improve soil water retention, and increase soil C content therefore constituting a potential avenue to adapt to droughts and sequester C. Well-known management practices such as the use of cover crops, compost or no-till, although effective, seem to result in highly variable outcomes in soil organic matter and other soil health indicators. This variability is likely associated to the application of the practices in different soils and climates. Thus, integration of soil health building practices needs a thorough understanding of their efficacy under different conditions. Furthermore, additions of soil organic matter could trigger emissions of CO2 and N2O, a potent greenhouse gas that could represent a potential tradeoff of soil conservation practices. Finally, nutrient and water availability may be affected by the increase in soil organic matter having consequences for vine balance and grape quality.

Spain is the country with the largest wine-producing area in the EU and its productivity is largely controlled applying fungicides. However, residues of these compounds can move and contaminate surface and groundwater. The objective of this work was to evaluate the capacity of bioadsorbents from different origin to adsorb and immobilize tetraconazole by themselves or when applied as organic soil amendment, and to prevent soil and water contamination by this fungicide. The adsorption of tetraconazole by 3 organic residues: spent mushroom substrate (SMS), green compost (GC) and vine pruning sawdust (VP), as well as by vineyard soils unamended and amended individually with these residues at 1.5% (w/w) was evaluated using the batch equilibrium technique.

C’è grande attenzione al rapporto tra zonazione e marketing. Mi sembra però che ci sia anco­ra oggi un salto fra le pratiche di analisi del terreno e di deterrninazione di quello che potremo definire “cru” e quello che può essere la sua utilizzazione rispetto ai consumatori finali.

Throughout centuries of anthropocentric breeding, plants have been selectively bred to enhance their quality traits and yield, often overlooking the importance of neglected attributes, like those involved in the interactions with beneficial microorganisms. This phenomenon led to an alteration in the distribution of photosynthetic products, shifting from defence mechanisms to growth, commonly described as ‘domestication syndrome’. Addressing the losses stemming from this condition is imperative just as unravelling the concealed communication between grapevines and beneficial microorganisms.