Monitoring water deficit in vineyards by means of Red and Infrared measurements

Ribeira Sacra is a Spanish Denominación de Origen (D.O.) for wines, located in Galicia, NW Spain.

Analysis of aerial photos by using GIS tools and on-field surveys of flora are used to characterize territories from an agro-ecological point of view and to assess the level of diversity of given agro-ecosystems. More and more correlations between landscape characteristics, sustainability and quality of agriculture production were speculated. In last three years a study was carried out in the area of DOC “Gioia del Colle” in Apulia, South Italy, in order to characterize and investigate different vineyards and sites and find out possible interactions and correlations between the landscape diversity, the biodiversity of fields and the quality of grapes and wines.

The winemaking industry generates a substantial amount of byproducts, including grape pomace, which is often discarded as waste. However, this seemingly useless material holds a wealth of bioactive compounds with potential health benefits. Recognizing the value of circular economy principles, this study delves into the comprehensive chemical analysis of aglianco grape pomace, aiming to transform this byproduct into a valuable resource.

Severe water stress events can induce cavitation damage by xylem embolism in grapevine, diminishing plant hydraulic conductance. This work aimed to determine the rootstock effects on 1) xylem embolism vulnerability to understand its function failure under severe drought, including segmentation processes from leaf to root; and 2) hydraulic conductance across water deficit and its recovery. For this purpose, two complementary experiments were performed in one-year-old Vitis vinifera cv. Tempranillo grafted onto two different rootstocks (110-Richter and SO4) under well-watered 12L pot conditions. In experiment 1, the water-stress induced xylem embolism was monitored in leaves and stems, above and below grafting-point, by using “Cavicam” for determining the percentage of embolized vessels (at P12, P50 and P88).

Context and purpose of the study. Croatia has rich grapevine genetic resources with more than 130 native varieties preserved.