GiESCO 2015 – Session 3: Training, cultivation technique

Lobesia botrana is a microlepidoptera moth a common pest in European vineyards. Larvaes cause damages both by eating plant reproductive organs and indirectly by promoting the infection of grape berries by saprophytic pathogens. Since 1999, the Banyuls and Albères Agricultural Development Group (GDA) keeps track of infestations by L. botrana on control plots.

Arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) fungi are very important for life of plant communities and also a predominant factor in sustainable agro-ecosystems like viticulture. Grapevine is a facultativ mycotroph host of various AM fungi. Although many studies have examined the role of AM fungi in water relations and photosynthetic performance of different host plants, there is no such information in the case of mycorrhiza inoculated grapevine.

Combining drastic reduction of inputs and high sensitivity of vine to pathogens implies re-designing viticulture production systems. The newly designed systems then need to be assessed to be sure that they are sustainable and can be implemented by wine growers.

The aim of the work was to evaluate the effect of different canopy structures, deriving from two trellis structures and three pruning methods, on berry internal temperature, juice composition and main skin phenol traits of cv Syrah grape. The work was done at the ARC Experiment Farm in Robertson, South Africa.

The timing of Nitrogen (N) application is critical for altering vine development, the N directed to berries and reserves. Stress on the vine, or nutrient and irrigation management, might give the accumulated reserves a critical role during grape maturation in the following season, influencing berry composition and wine quality. The aim of this project was to clarify the link between N input and reserves on fruit and wine composition under different environmental conditions.

A number of cultural techniques have been proposed in order to delay wine grape ripening in the face of global warming. This study is aimed at evaluating the effects of trimming on delaying berry ripening as well as at the determination of the optimal moment and intensity to realize this cultural practice.

The development of innovative farming systems to reach new goals of agricultural sustainability needs new methods for efficiency assessment. DEXiPM-Grapevine© is a multicriteria assessment tool for overall sustainability of grapevine farming systems adapted from DEXiPM arable crops (Pelzer et al, 2012). DEXiPM-Grapevine© was implemented during the European PURE Project 2012- 2015 (Integrated Pest Management (IPM) solutions in agriculture) in order to assess and compare various innovative grapevine systems.

The objective of this trial was to improve the quality of Merlot grapes, through the canopy management, to achieve better phenolic maturity without increasing the sugar content of the grapes. The vineyard located in Bolgheri (Tuscany-Italy) consisted of the cv. Merlot (clone181 on 110R) spaced at m 2.0 x 0.7, trained to horizontal spur cordon, pruned to 8 buds per vine, which were subjected to three types of canopy treatment on six randomized replications: FM) current farm management consisting of three shoot trimming (topping and hedging) made every 20 days, starting from the beginning of June (after fruit set); ELR) early basal shoot leaf removal at bloom followed by three shoot trimming every 20 days (like in treatment FM); NTD) None shoot trimming nor defoliation, rolling up the terminal part of the shoots, as adopted in biodynamic viticulture.

The aromas found in young red wines of Merlot and Cabernet sauvignon (found in the Bordeaux region) suggest a complex mixture of odours of fresh red fruits such as cherry or blackberry for Merlot, and strawberry or blackcurrant for Cabernet sauvignon. The aromas of these wines are strongly linked with the maturity of the grapes.

This study investigated the uptake and distribution in grape tissues of the micronutrients copper (Cu), zinc (Zn) and manganese (Mn), in a 16 year-old ‘Cabernet Sauvignon’ vineyard and their relationship with wine nutrient content. The analysis was carried out in two plots with differences in vigor, grown in a calcareous soil.

In order to reduce the cost of grape-burying in late autumn (ground covering vines under the row for winter, and being pulled out in the inter-row for the growing season) for preventing frost injury in the Ningxia region, 12 years old vines of Vitis vinifera cv. Cabernet Gernischet (Carmenère) are used as test material in this experiment. They are cultivated in a particular way to reduce vigour and maintain the fruiting zone close to the ground, thus making the burying in late autumn easier.

A field experiment was conducted to study the effects of shoot number per plant on canopy microclimate, yield components, vegetative growth, berry and wine composition on cv. Malbec vines. The experiment was installed during 2012 season in a commercial vineyard planted in 2000 and located in Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza (Argentina).

This study investigated the effects of leaf thinning on potassium levels in petiole and different grape tissues during ripening in two red varieties: Shiraz (SH) and Cabernet Sauvignon (CS), cultivated in the Costers de Segre Designation of Origin (NE, Spain). Petiole and grape berries were collected from early veraison to harvest in two plots with differences in vigor, in which leaf thinning was partially applied.

Esca is currently, in France or even in Europe, the most concern grapevine disease. This trunk decline disease affects the longevity of vineyards. It is caused by the development of large inner necrosis in the grapevine wood associated with a wide fungal procession whose key players have already been identified. However the predisposing factors that favour the development of inner necrosis are still unknown or underestimated.

Aiming to obtain empirical models for the estimation of Syrah leaf area a set of 210 fruiting shoots was randomly collected during the 2013 growing season in an adult experimental vineyard, located in Lisbon, Portugal. Samples of 30 fruiting shoots were taken periodically from the stage of inflorescences visible to veraison (7 sampling dates).