Swiss terroirs studies

In this audio recording of the IVES science meeting 2022, Gonzaga Santesteban (Department of Agronomy, Biotechnology and Food Science, Public University of Navarra (UPNA), Pamplona, Navarra, Spain) speaks about cover crops in viticulture. This presentation is based on 2 original articles accessible for free on OENO One.

Assessing grape composition is critical in vineyard management. It is required to decide the harvest date and to optimize cultural practices toward the achievement of production goals. The grape composition is variable in time and space, as it is affected by the ripening process and depends on soil and climate conditions.

The adaptation of rootstock to scion variety and soil determines largely the control of the vegetative growth for grapevine. Many experiments were performed in the vineyard to classify the rootstocks according to their soil adaptation and to their effect on vine vigour. So far there are no data describing the course of appearance of rootstock effects after plantation. Moreover the underlying mechanisms of conferred vigour remain largely unknown.

La conservation de la fertilité du sol est un aspect primordial dans la viticulture durable. Différents paramètres, comme par exemple la topographie, la composition du sol, les conditions climatiques, influencent la fertilité du sol des surfaces viticoes.

The French grapevine breeding program for durable resistance to downy and powdery mildew (INRAE-ResDur) was initiated more than 20 years ago to help reduce the heavy use of plant protection products and provide a durable mean to cope with a strong pathogen pressure. This program has now proved to be effective, with about ten new varieties already officially registered. However, there is still a lot to be done (1) to reduce the duration of each breeding cycle, (2) to diversify disease factors’ pyramiding and anticipate emerging diseases, (3) to work towards larger adoption of the new resistant varieties. New breeding schemes incorporating for example genomic prediction of breeding values are being evaluated to accelerate genetic gains, saving cost and time while handling complex traits.