Effect of vineyard management strategy on the nutritional status of irrigated « Tempranillo » vineyards grown in semi-arid areas

In the bottom of Val d’Illasi (Verona province), one of the major valleys which passes through the Lessini mountains, viticulture is widely extended. In the territory belonging to Illasi and Tregnago villages, which includes ca. 1100 ha of vineyards, devoted to produce Soave and Valpolicella DOC wines, an experimental survey was conducted on a network of twenty five reference vineyards.

Grape pomace (GP) is a winemaking by-product particularly rich in (poly)phenols and dietary fiber, which are the main active compounds responsible for its health-promoting effects. GP-derived products have been proposed to manage cardiovascular risk factors, including endothelial dysfunction, inflammation, hypertension, hyperglycemia, and obesity. Studies on the potential impact of GP on gut health are much more recent. However, it is suggested that, to some extent, this activity of GP as a cardiometabolic health-promoting ingredient would begin in the gastrointestinal tract as GP components (i.e., (poly)phenols and fiber) undergo extensive catabolism, mainly by the action of the intestinal microbiota, that gives rise to low-molecular-weight bioactive compounds that can be absorbed and utilized by the body.

Analisi sulle zonizzazioni storiche, sulle produzioni tipiche ed originali e sulla “forestazione classica” per impostare innovative zonazioni vitivinicole e dei prodotti tipici, originali attraverso la “Nuova forestazione storica produttiva”. Le recenti ricerche ed attività svolte sulle zonizzazioni storiche, sulle produzioni tipiche ed originali e sulla “forestazione classica” dei Monti Iblei (Ragusa) (I) hanno permesso di rilanciare le produzioni tipiche ed originali vitivinicole in un innovativo programma integrato tra zonazione (“Grande Zonazione”) e “Nuova forestazione storica produttiva” (“Grande Forestazione Produttiva”) di questo importante territorio.

Le monde vitivinicole est de plus en plus concerné par la question paysagère : l’enjeu est de taille puisqu’il s’agit de la survie de l’image positive dont bénéficient les Appellations d’Origine Contrôlée. Les paysages sont composés d’éléments qui renvoient à des références socioculturelles fortes, susceptibles de modeler l’image d’un produit et d’en déterminer à notoriété et le prix. Dans un monde médiatisé comme le nôtre, le visuel construit l’arrière-plan des représentations mentales associées à toute marchandise ; et pour les aliments, produits de la terre, ce visuel est forcément paysager.

Vineyards are complex agro-ecosystems with high spatial and temporal variability. An efficient training system may counteract the adverse effects of this variability. Moreover, considering the climate change issues, choosing an efficient training system that enhances water use and protects the vines from radiative thermal stress has become a priority for the farmers. A multidisciplinary approach that assesses the soil-crop-yield-wine relationships of vineyards in a distributed and holistic way could bring added knowledge on the behavior of the different training systems. This ongoing research aimed to implement a multidisciplinary approach to study the behavior of “Aglianico del Vulture” grapevines trained with two different systems: a spurred cordon (SC) and an “Alberello in parete” (AL), grown in a high-quality wine production area of Basilicata region (Italy). The approach merged several methods and scales of soil, ecophysiology, must/wine quality, and spectral data collection to assess the influence of the training system. Homogeneous zones (HZs) in both training systems were defined through a procedure based on geomorphological classification, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) images analysis, and a traditional soil survey supported by geophysical scanning. During the 2021 season, TDR probes monitored soil water content, while grapevine health status was assessed using eco-physiological measurements (LWP, chlorophyll content, PSII photosynthetic efficiency, LAI, and point-based field spectroscopy). These grapevine in-vivo measurements validated the spectral vegetation indexes (NDVI, RENDVI, CVI, and TVI) derived from the UAV multispectral imagery, which monitored the grapevine status in a distributed and non-invasive way. Grape yield, quality of berries, must and wine were measured to assess the effects of the training systems. The first experimental year results showed the variability of the vineyards and revealed relationships among soil parameters, crop characteristics, and vegetation indices of the SC and AL training systems. This multidisciplinary study could bring new insights into the vineyard training system’s effects on grape yield and wine quality.