The adaptative capacity of a viticultural area (Valle Telesina, Southern Italy) to climate changes

Abstract

The viticulture aiming at the production of high quality wine is very important for the landscape conservation, because it allows to combine high farmer income with soil conservation. The quality of grape and wine is variety-specific and it depends significantly on the pedoclimatic conditions. The evolution of climate may thus endanger not only yield (IPCC, 2007) but, more significantly, the sustainability of current varieties. Adaptation of current production systems may be feasible, but requires a timely evaluation of whether adaptation to climate evolution might be limited to improving crop and soil management or should involve replacement of cvs or species altogether.
This study addressed this question by evaluating the adaptive capacity of a 20000 ha viticultural area in the “Valle Telesina” (Campania Region, Southern Italy). This area has a long tradition in the production of high quality wines (DOC and DOCG) and it is characterized by a complex geomorphology with a large soil and climate variability.
Two climate periods were considered: “past” (1984-1996) and “present” (2000-2009), which show a pattern of climate variability. The periods were taken as an example of different scenarios generated by climate changes.
The Amerine & Winkler index was calculated in each climate period and compared with the thermal requirements of a set of grapevine cvs, including the ones currently cultivated in the area.
Due to the observed trend of temperature increase from the “past” to the “present” period, differences were detected in the A&W index’s values and spatial distribution. When compared with the A&W indexes of the grape varieties the temperature increase resulted in a considerable increase of the area eligible to some varieties (Guarnaccia and Forastera) and a strong reduction of the area suitable for some of the most important current varieties (Aglianico and Falanghina).
Moreover, the hydrological model SWAP was applied to estimate the Crop Water Stress Index (CWSI) in the “present” climatic period, in order to evaluate the effects of the re-distribution of the cultivars over the study area on vineyards’ water balance.
This approach is being applied to other crops and other production systems towards quantitative, realistic studies on the adaptation of agriculture to climate evolution.

DOI:

Publication date: December 3, 2021

Issue: Terroir 2010

Type: Article

Authors

A. Bonfante (1), A. Basile (1), F. De Lorenzi (1), G. Langella (1), F. Terribile (2), M. Menenti (3)

(1) Institute for Mediterranean Agricultural and Forest Systems (ISAFOM-CNR), Ercolano (NA), Italy
(2) University of Naples Federico II, Portici (NA), Italy
(3) Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands

Contact the author

Keywords

Grapevine adaptative capacity, Amerine & Winkler index, SWAP, Climate changes, quality viticulture

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Terroir 2010

Citation

Related articles…

Estimation of degree brix in grapes by proximal hyperspectral sensing and nanosatellite imagery through the random forest regressor

The assessment of physiological parameters in vineyards can be done by direct measurements or by remote, indirect methods. The latter option frequently yields useful data, and development of methods and techniques that make them possible is worthwhile. One of the parameters most looked for to define the quality status of a vineyard is the degree Brix of its grapes, a quantity usually determined by direct measurement.

Mitigation of retronasal smoke flavor carryover in the sensory analysis of smoke affected wines

With the steady rise in wildfire occurrence in wine regions around the world, there are quality issues beginning to face the wine industry. These fires produce clouds of smoke which have the ability to carry organic molecules across vast distances that can be absorbed by grapes. When these compounds make their way into the final wine, unpleasant smokey and burnt flavors are present, along with a lasting ashy finish. Along with the volatile compounds carried by smoke, once incorporated into the fruit these compounds become bound to sugars, forming glycosidic compounds.

Response of red grape varieties irrigated during the summer to water availability at the end of winter in four Spanish wine-growing regions: berry phenolic composition

Water availability is the most limiting factor for vineyard productivity under Mediterranean conditions. Due to the effects caused by the current climate change, wine-growing regions may face serious soil moisture conservation problems, due to the lower water retention capacity of the soil and higher soil irradiation. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effects of soil recharge irrigation in pre-sprouting and summer irrigation every week (30 % ETo) from the pea size state until the end of ripening (RP) compared to exclusively summer irrigation every week (R) in the same way that RP, on berry phenolic composition at harvest.

Use of the stics crop model as a tool to inform vineyard zonages

STICS est un modèle de culture développé à l’INRA (France) depuis 1996. Il simule les bilans de carbone, d’eau et d’azote dans le système culture-sol, piloté par des données climatiques journaliéres. Il calcule à la fois des variables agricoles (rendement en quantité et qualité) et environnementales (pertes en eau et en azote). Une des originalités de STICS est son adaptabilité à de nombreuses cultures (herbacées, ligneuses, annuelles, pérennes) rendue possible par le choix de paramètres génériques et d’options de formalismes. Le travail présenté traite, dans un premier temps, des spécificités de STICS pour la vigne en terme de bilan trophique, de fonctionnement énergétique et hydrique et d’estimation des teneurs en sucre en en eau du raisin. Nous montrons ensuite diverses sorties du modèle qui permettent de caractériser des terroirs du vignoble des Côtes du Rhône.

Primary results on the characterisation of “terroir” in the certified denomination of origin Rioja (Spain)

La integración de variables referentes al clima, la litología y la morfología del relieve y el suelo en la D.O. Ca Rioja permite la configuración de un modelo a través de cuya validación se obtiene la delimitación de zonas vitícolas.