Terroir 2008 banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 The influence of tertiary and quaternary deposits on the viticultural potential of the terroirs to be found in Geneva, Switzerland

The influence of tertiary and quaternary deposits on the viticultural potential of the terroirs to be found in Geneva, Switzerland

Abstract

The 1365 ha of the Genevese vineyard are located at the south-western corner of the Swiss plateau, between 395m and 505 m altitude. The vineyard is spread on quaternary deposits left behind after the melting of glaciers (12000 years BP) and tertiary molassic rocks (Chattien, 24 Ma). A soil map on the scale of 1:7500 was produced from 850 auger probes and 90 soil profiles. Based on this map, 69 parcels of Gamaret and Gamay are used as indicators to study the meso-climate and to follow the vines’ development. Thirty-seven parcels are equipped with temperature sensors at the depths of 2, 10 and 50 cm.
The glacial deposits are either made up of basal tills, mostly compacted, or by lateral and frontal stony tills more or less compacted or by glacio-lacustral and fluviatil deposits which show a textural composition going from clay to coarse gravel. The tertiary rocks present a succession of mudstone and sandstone stratas. The presence of these different deposits means there is great spatial variability. The textural and spatial variability are therefore present in the soils which developed from these parent materials.
More than half of the soils (55%) are located on basal or lateral tills. The glacio-lacustres and the tertiary rocks are to be found under 21 and 26 % of the soils respectively. Seven percent is situated on molasse with shallow till deposit. The CALCOSOLS, BRUNISOLS and LUVISOLS cover 63, 21 and 8 % of the surface respectively. Their clay, calcite and stone content differs widely. The deposits also influence the soils’ thermal and hydrological properties. The soils with excess of water are mostly located on fine textural deposits like mudstone and glacio-lacustral clay and on compacted tills The available water content goes from 50 to 250 mm. The plant behaviour is being observed in an on-going study to better under stand the meso-climate of the vineyard.

Download the PDF

DOI:

Publication date: December 8, 2021

Issue: Terroir 2008

Type : Article

Authors

BURGOS Stéphane, DAKHEL Nathalie and ALMENDROS Sébastien

Ecole d’ingénieurs de Changins, 1260 Nyon, Switzerland

Contact the author

Keywords

terroir, géologie, sols, climat, dépôts glaciaires

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Terroir 2008

Citation

Related articles…

Opportunities and challenges in the adoption of new grape varieties by producers: A case study from the Northeastern United

Grape breeding for resistance to fungal diseases is today very dynamic throughout the world notably in France. New varieties are obtained by hybridization between susceptible varieties of the vitis vinifera species and resistant genotypes, with breeding programs generally lasting between 15 and 25 years and resulting in the registration of a few new varieties. Though these varieties can provide several benefits and can be planted by winegrowers, they are not always systematically adopted.

Read More

French wine sector facing climate change (part. 1): A national strategy built on a foresight and participatory approach

A foresight study was carried out by a group of experts from INRAE, universities, INAO and FranceAgriMer from 2014 as part of the multidisciplinary “laccave” project intended to anticipate climate change in the French wine industry. The initial objective was to initiate an interdisciplinary dialogue between researchers and to feed their questions in a more systemic way. The scenario development method made it possible to build possible futures for the wine sector in the face of climate change. It began by drafting four adaptation strategies, combining different possible intensities of innovation and relocation of the vineyard.

Read More

Manipulating grapevine bud fruitfulness

Bud fruitfulness is a key component of reproductive performance of grapevine. It plays a significant role in annual yield variation of vineyards as it is a prerequisite of crop production in the following season. Various exogenous and endogenous factors influencing the development of inflorescence primordia (IP) have been studied. However, the research on molecular genetic control of bud fruitfulness, especially how it interacts with environmental factors is still lacking. This study aims to investigate the molecular mechanism of effects of temperature and light on grapevine bud fruitfulness during initiation and differentiation of IP.

Read More

Improved vineyard sampling efficiency using aerial NDVI

Random sampling is often considered to be the best protocol for fruit sampling because it is assumed to produce a sample that best represents the vineyard population.

Read More

Beneficial effects of moderate consumption of Teran red wine on blood lipid profile: a preliminary study on healthy volunteers

Moderate wine consumption may impact several human health aspects, among others as a result of phenolic compounds present in wine and their bioactive properties. The aim of this study was to determine whether six weeks of daily, moderate Teran red wine consumption affects the levels of total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol – HDL, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol – LDL, and triglycerides. Sixty-eight healthy adults (46 women and 22 men) aged 25-64 years voluntarily agreed to participate in the study.

Read More