Viticulture
24 October 2023
Mechanisation of pre-flowering leaf removal under temperate climate conditions
Grapevine leaf removal (LR) in the cluster area is a common practice in temperate and cool climates, usually done between berry-set and cluster closure to create a less favourable microclimate for fungal diseases and to improve grape ripening. ...
5 October 2023
High eugenol content of Armagnac hybrid variety Baco Blanc, an asset in combating Botrytis cinerea
Baco Blanc is the grape variety specific to the wine spirit Armagnac. A hybrid vine with good tolerance, particularly to Botrytis cinerea, its berries have an atypical chemical composition. Specifically, they have a high concentration ...
25 September 2023
Mortality and vigour based indicators for an early diagnosis of vineyard decline
Similar to the forestry industry, the winegrowing sector has experienced a grapevine decline phenomenon over the last twenty years, so that decline is now considered an increasingly widespread problem in many vineyards across the world (De la ...
8 September 2023
Carbon isotope discrimination (so-called δ13C) measured on grape juice is an accessible tool to monitor vine water status in production conditions
Assessment of vine water status is needed to understand the effect of environmental factors and management practices on dry-farmed and irrigated vineyards. Among plant-based indicators, carbon isotope discrimination (δ13C) is easily ...
25 August 2023
Temperature variation linked to trellis height: an opportunity for adaptation to climate change?
Temperature is a key factor in vine growth and grape composition (Jones, 2006). Climate change is already having an impact on these parameters in many wine regions, and it is becoming necessary to adapt in order to continue producing quality ...
20 June 2023
Nitrogen nutrition status of the vine: correlation between N-tester and SPAD chlorophyll indices
Knowledge of the nitrogen nutrition status of the vine is essential for long-term management of its nutrition with the aim of producing high-quality grapes. Measurement of the chlorophyll index is a fast, non-destructive and relatively ...
14 June 2023
Regrafting and curettage of esca-affected vines: useful control techniques but difficult to implement
Grapevine trunk diseases affect 13 % of French vineyards and esca has become more prevalent in recent decades (Grosman & Doublet 2012). Fussler et al. (2008) reported that an average of 3.25 % of vines are affected by esca. ...
26 April 2023
Sustaining wine identity through intra-varietal diversification
To sustain local wine identity in uncertain climate outcomes, the study of intra-varietal diversity is important to reflect the adaptive potential of cultivated varieties. Findings highlight the strong phenotypic diversity of studied varieties ...
25 April 2023
Aromatic ripeness may be the type of maturity that impacts red wine typicity the most. Part I: the aromas involved in aromatic ripeness
Harvesting grapes at the appropriate maturity is key to the production of high quality red wines. Viticulturists, oenologists and winemakers define several types of maturity: technological, phenolic and aromatic. Aromatic maturity is probably ...
25 April 2023
Aromatic ripeness may be the type of maturity that impacts red wine typicity the most. Part II: terroir factors and management practices affecting aromatic ripeness
Harvesting grapes at the appropriate maturity is key to the production of high quality red wines. Viticulturists, oenologists and winemakers define several types of maturity: technological, phenolic and aromatic. Aromatic ...
25 April 2023
Dynamics of grapevine fanleaf virus (GFLV) infection in the vineyard and study of the response of different rootstocks
Planting is a major step in the life of a vineyard. The choices made at this stage, including that of the plant material, commits the winegrower for several decades (Dewasme et al., 2022a). The rootstock, which forms part of the ...
25 April 2023
What’s new with rootstocks?
French research on rootstocks is based on two strategies: the creation of new rootstocks and the evaluation of existing rootstocks (GreffAdapt facility). The search for traits associated with drought tolerance has not yet been brought to a ...
25 April 2023
Regional mapping of vine water status based on collaborative observations
Monitoring vine water status at the regional level is a major issue (Willwerth and Reynolds, 2020), and yet there are few appropriate tools available on this scale (Rienth and Scholasch, 2019). Collaborative collection of ...
25 April 2023
One or the other: under drought, grapevines do not express esca leaf symptoms
Global viticulture has seen decreases in fruit yield and vine longevity over the past two decades. Our understanding of the underlying causes is limited by the complex interactions among the different factors involved and the technical ...
25 April 2023
Uncertain changes to spring frost risks in vineyards in the 21st century
With milder winters, earlier budburst could lead to increased frost damage in the 21st century, despite global warming. However, the projection of future frost risk is currently subject to uncertainty. We look ...
12 April 2023
Healthy Rootstock Cuttings are Essential for the International Nursery Industry
Rootstock cuttings infected with latent Grapevine Trunk Diseases (GTD’s) pathogens are a major problem for nurseries. These fungal pathogens include several species of the genera Phaeoacremonium, Phaeomoniella, Cadophora, Dactylonectria, ...
10 March 2023
Review of plant-based methods for assessing vine water status
Assessing vine water status is crucial to optimising cultural practices, including irrigation strategies, to guarantee environmentally and economically sustainable viticulture in a context of increasing water ...
20 February 2023
How terroir shapes aromatic typicity in grapes and wines (Part II)
Over the past decades, great progress has been accomplished in the understanding of the molecular basis of aromas in grapes and wines. These aromas depend on the grapevine variety, but also on environmental factors ...
9 February 2023
How terroir shapes aromatic typicity in grapes and wines (Part I)
Over the past decades, great progress has been accomplished in the understanding of the molecular basis of aromas in grapes and wines. These aromas depend not only on grapevine variety but also on environmental factors involved in the ...
9 December 2022
Cover crops under the vines: a viable alternative for weed management in Mediterranean vineyards
A Trifolium fragiferum (strawberry clover) cover crop was used as an alternative for weed control under the vines in an irrigated vineyard located in a semiarid area of Northern Spain. The cover crop allowed a satisfactory and ...
21 October 2022
Late frost protection – what to retain from the Champagne experience?
With the occurrence of frost, sensitive plants are susceptible to damage. One of the most counter-intuitive impacts of climate change is the increasing frequency of spring frost. Studies have warned of this problem (Inouye, 2008), ...
11 October 2022
Reducing possibly synthetic fungicide input by using vigor thresholded NDVI as early risk indicator of Botrytis bunch rot in vineyards
Botrytis bunch rot (BBR) is a major disease occurring in vineyards worldwide. Its control, still largely based on synthetic fungicide sprayings at pre-determined intervals, often leads to residues in grapes and wines that ...
22 September 2022
Late pruning of the vine
In the current climatic context, with milder winters leading to earlier budburst in most wine regions, vines are exposed to the risk of spring frosts for a longer period. Depending on the year, frost can lead to yield losses of between ...
23 August 2022
Drosophila suzukii, a species to monitor
Drosophila suzukii has recently arrived in Northern Hemisphere vineyards and has caused damage to grape, particularly in Europe. Damage to the grapes has been observed, as well as the development of sour rot linked to its ...
23 June 2022
Principles of vineyard establishment and strategies to delay ripening under a warming climate
Some viticultural strategies may offer a natural solution to mitigate the negative effects of global warming in viticulture. Decisions concerning vineyard topography variables, as well as rootstock, variety, clone, training system, and row ...