Terroir 2010 banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 Sviluppo di una metodologia di tracciabilità e definizione dell’impronta petrochimica in suoli e vini della Sicilia occidentale nella piana di Marsala (TP)

Sviluppo di una metodologia di tracciabilità e definizione dell’impronta petrochimica in suoli e vini della Sicilia occidentale nella piana di Marsala (TP)

Abstract

[English version below]

I risultati delle ricerche condotte in un vigneto sperimentale di Marsala (TP), scelto per omogeneità di fattori bio-agronomici (età, tecniche colturali, potenzialità vegetativa e produttiva), consentono di definire l’impronta geochimica in uve e vini ereditate dai suoli. Ai fini della ricerca sono stati prelevati 24 campioni di suolo – 6 per ogni varietà – in corrispondenza degli apparati radicali delle quattro cultivars indagate: Nero D’Avola, Refosco dal peduncolo rosso, Fiano e Verdicchio. I suoli sono stati caratterizzati mediante analisi chimiche in XRF (X ray Fluorescence) ed i vini in ICP-MS (Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry).
La piana di Marsala rappresenta, infatti, un’area test ideale per la tipologia di suolo e per la presenza, nell’alta pianura, di un acquifero di buona qualità attualmente non degradato per fenomeni di salinizzazione. L’area inoltre ricade nella fascia sensibile alla desertificazione che è da alcuni anni oggetto di indagine tramite numerosi progetti e programmi di ricerca, ed il monitoraggio delle caratteristiche di uve e vini nelle varie annate può fornire un contributo alla comprensione di questi effetti. L’analisi delle varie cultivars è focalizzata alla ricerca dei vitigni meno sensibili allo stress climatico al fine di pianificare interventi di qualificazione in grado di affrontare l’impatto che i cambiamenti climatici produrranno nei prossimi anni nell’area mediterranea. Questo lavoro ha cercato di definire i tenori di fondo dei macro e micronutrienti inorganici e di acquisire la banca dati essenziale per la valutazione delle ricadute dei cambiamenti climatici e degli effetti della desertificazione sulla qualità dei vini.

Research studies carried out on a vineyard, selected on the basis of the bio-agronomic factors’ homogeneity (age, cultivation techniques, production capability…), in the Marsala Plain (TP) Sicily, have permitted to define geochemical fingerprints inherited by grapes and wines. 24 soil’s samples (gathered in correspondence of the root system) of 4 different cultivar types (6 from Nero D’Avola, 6 from Refosco dal peduncolo rosso, 6 from Fiano and 6 from Verdicchio) were collected. The soil samples were characterized by XRF chemical analysis and the wine samples were analysed by ICP-MS technique.
The Marsala Plain is test site both for soils and for the presence of an aquifer characterized by good quality of water and lack of salinisation processes. These pilot site is located in an area currently interested by desertification phenomena and for this reason carefully monitored. This situation can be helpful in order to characterize the features of grapes and wines in several vintage years contributing on the comprehension of the effects of desertification on the production of wine. Analysis of different cultivar were focused on the definition of particular grapevine varieties less sensitive to climatic stress conditions, in order to plan suitable qualification actions to face the impact of climatic changes foreseen in the Mediterranean area.
The aim of this study is to define the background standard values for inorganic macro and micronutrients, acquiring
the essential data set useful for the evaluation of climatic changes and desertification effects on the wine quality.

DOI:

Publication date: December 3, 2021

Issue: Terroir 2010

Type: Article

Authors

D. Ferioli (1), E. Marrocchino (2), P. Bartolomei (3), R. Tassinari (2), C. Vaccaro (2), L. Sansone (4), N. Belfiore (4), A. Sparacio (5)

(1) U-SERIES, Via Ferrarese, 131, 40128 Bologna, Italia
(2) Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università di Ferrara, Via Saragat 1, 44100 Ferrara, Italia
(3) ENEA, via dei Colli, 16, 40136 Bologna, Italia
(4) CRA-VIT Centro di Ricerca per la Viticoltura, Viale XXVIII Aprile, 26 31015 Conegliano (TV), Italia
(5) IRVV Istituto Regionale della Vite e del Vino, Via Libertà, 66 90143 Palermo, Italia

Contact the author

Keywords

Uve, vini, suolo, desertificazione
Grapes, wines, soil, desertification

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Terroir 2010

Citation

Related articles…

Making sense of available information for climate change adaptation and building resilience into wine production systems across the world

Effects of climate change on viticulture systems and winemaking processes are being felt across the world. The IPCC 6thAssessment Report concluded widespread and rapid changes have occurred, the scale of recent changes being unprecedented over many centuries to many thousands of years. These changes will continue under all emission scenarios considered, including increases in frequency and intensity of hot extremes, heatwaves, heavy precipitation and droughts. Wine companies need tools and models allowing to peer into the future and identify the moment for intervention and measures for mitigation and/or avoidance. Previously, we presented conceptual guidelines for a 5-stage framework for defining adaptation strategies for wine businesses. That framework allows for direct comparison of different solutions to mitigate perceived climate change risks. Recent global climatic evolution and multiple reports of severe events since then (smoke taint, heatwave and droughts, frost, hail and floods, rising sea levels) imply urgency in providing effective tools to tackle the multiple perceived risks. A coordinated drive towards a higher level of resilience is therefore required. Recent publications such as the Australian Wine Future Climate Atlas and results from projects such as H2020 MED-GOLD inform on expected climate change impacts to the wine sector, foreseeing the climate to expect at regional and vineyard scale in coming decades. We present examples of practical application of the Climate Change Adaptation Framework (CCAF) to impacts affecting wine production in two wine regions: Barossa (Australia) and Douro (Portugal). We demonstrate feasibility of the framework for climate adaptation from available data and tools to estimate historical climate-induced profitability loss, to project it in the future and to identify critical moments when disruptions may occur if timely measures are not implemented. Finally, we discuss adaptation measures and respective timeframes for successful mitigation of disruptive risk while enhancing resilience of wine systems.

Local adaptation tools to ensure the viticultural sustainability in a changing climate

[lwp_divi_breadcrumbs home_text="IVES" use_before_icon="on" before_icon="||divi||400" module_id="publication-ariane" _builder_version="4.19.4" _module_preset="default" module_text_align="center" module_font_size="16px" text_orientation="center"...

Using δ13C and hydroscapes as a tool for discriminating cultivar specific drought response

Measurement of carbon isotope discrimination in berry juice sugars at maturity (δ13C) provides an integrated assessment of water use efficiency (WUE) during the period of berry ripening, and when collected over multiple seasons can be used as an indication of drought stress response. Berry juice δ13C measurements were carried out on 48 different varieties planted in a common garden experiment in Bordeaux, France from 2014 through 2021 and were paired with midday and predawn leaf water potential measurements on the same vines in a subset of six varieties. The aim was to discriminate a large panel of varieties based on their stomatal behaviour and potentially identify hydraulic traits characterizing drought tolerance by comparing δ13C and hydroscapes (the visualisation of plant stomatal behaviour as a response to predawn water potential). Cluster analysis found that δ13C values are likely affected by the differing phenology of each variety, resulting in berry ripening of different varieties taking place under different stress conditions within the same year. We accounted for these phenological differences and found that cluster analysis based on specific δ13C metrics created a classification of varieties that corresponds well to our current empirical understanding of their relative drought tolerances. In addition, we analysed the water potential regulation of the subset of six varieties (using the hydroscape approach) and found that it was well correlated with some δ13C metrics. Surprisingly, a variety’s water potential regulation (specifically its minimum critical leaf water potential under water deficit) was strongly correlated to δ13C values under well-watered conditions, suggesting that base WUE may have a stronger impact on drought tolerance than WUE under water deficit. These results give strong insights on the innate WUE of a very large panel of varieties and suggest that studies of drought tolerance should include traits expressed under non-limiting conditions.

Elucidating vineyard site contributions to key sensory molecules: Identification of correlations between elemental composition and volatile aroma profile of site-specific Pinot noir wines

The reproducibility of elemental profile in wines produced across multiple vintages has been previously reported using grapes from a single scion clone of Vitis vinifera L. cv. Pinot noir. The grapevines were grown on fourteen different vineyard sites, from Oregon to southern California in the U.S.A., which span distances from approximately hundreds of meters to 1450 km, while elevations range from near sea level to nearly 500 m. In addition, sensorial (i.e. aroma, taste, and mouthfeel) and chemical (i.e. polyphenolic and volatile) differences across the different vineyard sites have also been observed among these wines at two aging time points. While strong evidence exists to support that grapes grown in different regions can produce wines with unique chemical and sensorial profiles, even when a single clone is used, the understanding of growing site characteristics that result in this reproducible differentiation continues to emerge. One hypothesis is that the elemental profile that a vineyard site imparts to the grape berries and the resulting wine is an important contributor to this differentiation in chemistry and sensory of wines. For example, various classes of enzymes that catalyze the formation of key aroma compounds or their precursors require specific metals. In this work, we begin to report correlations between elemental and volatile aroma profiles of site-specific Pinot noir wines, made under standardized winemaking conditions, that have been previously shown to be distinguished separately by these chemical analyses.

Effects of organic mulches on the soil environment and yield of grapevine

Farming management practices aiming at conserving soil moisture have been developed in arid and semiarid-areas facing water scarcity problems. Organic mulching is an effective method to manipulate the crop-growing microclimate increasing crop yield by controlling soil temperature, and retaining soil moisture by reducing soil evaporation. In this sense, the effectiveness of different organic mulching materials (straw mulch and grapevine pruning debris) applied within the row of a vineyard was evaluated on the soil and on the vine in a Tempranillo vineyard located in La Rioja (Spain). Organic mulches were compared with a traditional bare soil management technique (based on the use of herbicides to avoid weed incidence). Mulching coverages favourably influenced the soil water retention throughout all the grapevine vegetative cycle. However, the soil-moisture variation was not the same under different mulching materials, being the straw mulch (SM) the one that retained more water in comparison with grapevine pruning debris (GPD) based-cover. The changes of soil moisture in the upper surface layer (0–10 cm) were highly dynamic, probably due to water vapour fluxes across the soil-atmospheric interface. However, both, SM and GPD reduced these fluctuations as compared with bare soils. A similar trend occurred with soil temperature. Both organic mulches altered soil temperature in comparison with bare soil by reducing soil temperature in summer and raising it in winter. Moreover, the same buffering effect for the temperature on the covered soil also remains in the deeper layers. To conclude, we could see that organic mulching had a positive impact on soil-moisture storage and soil temperature and the extent of this effect depends on the type of mulching materials. These changes led to higher rates of photosynthesis and stomatal conductivity compared to bare soils, also favouring crop growth and grape yields.