Varietal responses to soil water deficit: first results from a common-garden vineyard near Bordeaux France

In wine producing regions around the world, climate change has the potential to decrease the frequency and amount of precipitation and increase average and extreme temperatures. This will both lower soil water availability and increase evaporative demand in vineyards, thereby increasing soil water deficits and associated vine stress. Grapevines control their water status by regulating stomatal closure and other changes to internal plant hydraulics. These responses are complex and have not been clearly characterized across a wide range of different Vitis vinifera varieties. Understanding how vine water status responds to changes in soil water deficits and other variables will help growers modify vineyard design and management practices to meet their quality and yield objectives. Carbon isotope discrimination measurements of certain plant tissues have been shown to provide effective characterization of stomatal closure, while water potential measurements provide a well-proven measure of overall vine water status. Using replicated data collected from an experimental common-garden vineyard at the Institut des Sciences de la Vigne et du Vin (ISVV) near Bordeaux, France, this project will analyze the effects on carbon isotope discrimination across 39 varieties and water potential across eight varieties against estimates of soil water deficits made using a water balance model running on local meteorology and considering the phenology of each variety. Similar to the literature, preliminary analysis finds as soil water deficit increases, carbon isotope data suggests greater stomatal closure and water potential measurements indicate greater vine stress. For both parameters, analysis will be performed to distinguish any difference in these responses between varieties

Soil type and soil preparation influence vine development and grape composition through its impact on vine water and nitrogen status

The influence of soil type and preparation on vine development and grape composition was investigated in a 50 ha estate located in Saint-Emilion (Bordeaux, France) and planted predominantly with Merlot. Part of the vineyard was planted down the slopes and another part of the vineyard was planted on terraces, where soils were profoundly modified through soil preparation. Grape composition (berry weight, sugar, total acidity, malic acid and pH), vigor (pruning weight), vine nitrogen status (Yeast Available Nitrogen (YAN) in grapes) and vine water status (δ13C) was measured at a very high density grid of 10 data points per hectare. Water deficit was globally weak over the estate because of high soil water holding capacity whereas vine nitrogen status was highly variable. Vine vigor and grape composition were predominantly driven by vine nitrogen status. On terraces, where soils were deep, due to invasive soil preparation, water deficits were particularly small or non-existent and vine nitrogen status was highly variable. Grape quality potential was medium to low, except in places with low nitrogen status, but at the expense of low yields. On parcels planted down the slopes water deficits were recorded because vine rooting was limited by compact subsoils. Vine nitrogen status was homogeneous. Grape quality and yield were medium to high and relatively homogeneous. When possible, downhill plantations are to be preferred over terraces because in the latter vine yield and quality parameters are highly variable because of massive soil movements prior to plantation

Using δ13C and hydroscapes for discriminating cultivar specific drought responses

This article is published in cooperation with Terclim 2022 (XIVth International Terroir Congress and 2nd ClimWine Symposium), 3-8 July 2022, Bordeaux, France.Measurement of carbon isotope discrimination in berry juice at maturity (δ13C) provides an integrated assessment of vine water status and water use efficiency (WUE) during the period of berry ripening, and when collected over multiple seasons, can provide an indication of drought stress responses. Berry juice δ13C measurements were carried out on 48 different varieties planted in a common garden experiment in Bordeaux, France from 2014 through 2020 and found important differences across this large panel of varieties. Cluster analysis showed that δ13C values are likely affected by the differing phenology of each variety, resulting in berry ripening of different varieties taking place under different conditions of soil water availability within the same year. Accounting for these phenological differences, the cluster analysis created a classification of varieties that corresponds well to our current empirical understanding of their relative drought tolerance. In addition, using measurements of predawn and midday leaf water potential measurements collected over four seasons on a subset of six varieties, a hydroscape approach was used to develop a list of metrics indicative of the sensitivity of stomatal regulation to water stress (i.e., an/isohydric behaviour). Key hydroscape metrics were also found to be well correlated with some δ13C metrics. A variety’s water potential regulation as characterized by a minimum critical leaf water potential as determined from hydroscapes was strongly correlated to δ13C values under well-watered conditions, suggesting that the latter may be a useful indicator of drought stress response.COntinental To coastal Ecosystems: evolution, adaptability and governanc

Estimating Bulk Stomatal Conductance in Grapevine Canopies

In response to changes in their environments, grapevines regulate transpiration using various physiological mechanisms that alter conductance of water through the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum. Expressed as bulk stomatal conductance at the canopy scale, it varies diurnally in response to changes in vapor pressure deficit and net radiation, and over the season to changes in soil water deficits and hydraulic conductivity of both the soil and plant. To help with future characterization of this dynamic response, a simplified method is presented for determining bulk stomatal conductance based on the crop canopy energy flux model by Shuttleworth and Wallace using measurements of individual vine sap flow, temperature and humidity within the vine canopy, and estimates of net radiation absorbed by the vine canopy. The methodology presented respects the energy flux dynamics of vineyards with open canopies, while avoiding problematic measurements of soil heat flux and boundary layer conductance needed by other methods, which might otherwise interfere with ongoing vineyard management practices. Based on this method and measurements taken on several vines in a non-irrigated vineyard in Bordeaux France, bulk stomatal conductance was estimated on 15-minute intervals from July to mid-September 2020 producing values similar to those presented for vineyards in the literature. Time-series plots of this conductance show significant diurnal variation and seasonal decreases in conductance associated with increased vine water stress as measured by predawn leaf water potential. Global sensitivity analysis using non-parametric regression found transpiration flux and vapor pressure deficit to be the most important input variables to the calculation of bulk stomatal conductance, with absorbed net radiation and bulk boundary layer conductance being much less important. Conversely, bulk stomatal conductance was one of the most important inputs when calculating vine transpiration, emphasizing the usefulness of characterizing its dynamic response for the purpose of estimating vine canopy transpiration in water use models.COntinental To coastal Ecosystems: evolution, adaptability and governanc

Variety-specific response of bulk stomatal conductance of grapevine canopies to changes in net radiation, atmospheric demand, and drought stress

In wine growing regions around the world, climate change has the potential to affect vine transpiration and overall vineyard water use due to related changes in daily atmospheric conditions and soil water deficits. Grapevines control their transpiration in response to such changes by regulating conductance of water through the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum. The response of bulk stomatal conductance, the vine canopy equivalent of stomatal conductance, to such changes were studied on Cabernet-Sauvignon, Merlot, Tempranillo, Ugni blanc, and Semillon vines in a non-irrigated vineyard in Bordeaux France. Whole-vine sap flow, temperature and humidity in the vine canopy, and net radiation absorbed by the vine canopy were measured on 15-minute intervals from early July through mid-September 2020, together with periodic measurements of leaf area, canopy porosity, and predawn leaf water potential. From these data, bulk stomatal conductance was calculated on 15-minute intervals, and multiple linear regression analysis was performed to identify key variables and their relative effect on conductance. For the regression analysis, attention was focused on addressing non-linearity and collinearity in the explanatory variables and developing a model that was readily interpretable.Variability of vapour pressure deficit in the vine canopy over the day and predawn water potential over the season explained much of the variability in bulk stomatal conductance overall, with relative differences between varieties appearing to be driven in large part by differences in conductance response to predawn water potential between the varieties. Transpiration simulations based on the regression equations found similar differences between varieties in terms of daily and seasonal transpiration. These simulations also compared well with those from an accepted vineyard water balance model, although there appeared to be differences between the two approaches in the rate at which conductance, and hence transpiration is reduced as a function of decreasing soil water content (i.e., increasing water deficit stress). By better characterizing the response of bulk stomatal conductance, the dynamics of vine transpiration can be better parameterized in vineyard water use modeling of current and future climate scenarios.COntinental To coastal Ecosystems: evolution, adaptability and governanc

Horticulture Research

Soil microbiota has increasingly been shown to play an integral role in viticulture resilience. The emergence of new metagenomic and culturomic technologies has led to significant advances in the study of microbial biodiversity. In the agricultural sector, soil and plant microbiomes have been found to significantly improve resistance to environmental stressors and diseases, as well as influencing crop yields and fruit quality thus improving sustainability under shifting environments. Grapevines are usually cultivated as a scion grafted on rootstocks, which are selected according to pedoclimatic conditions and cultural practices, known as terroir. The rootstock connects the surrounding soil to the vine’s aerial part and impacts scion growth and berry quality. Understanding rootstock and soil microbiome dynamics is a relevant and important field of study, which may be critical to improve viticulture sustainability and resilience. This review aims to highlight the relationship between grapevine roots and telluric microbiota diversity and activity. In addition, this review explores the concept of core microbiome regarding potential applications of soil microbiome engineering with the goal of enhancing grapevine adaptation to biotic and abiotic stress

Genetic determinism of transpiration and growth responses to water deficit induced by grapewine rootstock : integrated analysis with ecophysiology and quantitative genetics

Dans le contexte de raréfaction de la ressource en eau, il est nécessaire de prendre en compte le caractère de tolérance à la sécheresse dans les programmes d’amélioration variétale, en particulier pour les porte-greffes de vigne. L’objectif de cette thèse est d’analyser, à l’échelle de la plante entière, le déterminisme génétique des effets du porte-greffe sur les réponses de la tranpiration et de la croissance, au niveau de la partie aérienne, en conditions de déficit hydrique édaphique. L’étude de ces caractères complexes, soumis à une forte interaction génotype × environnement, a été conduite à partir d’une approche de génétique quantitative où ces interactions ont été intégrées par deux approches : l’utilisation des paramètres de courbes de réponses comme caractère quantitatif et la mise en oeuvre d’une analyse QTL pluriannuelle. Une population de type F1, issu du croisement Vitis vinifera Cabernet Sauvignon × Vitis riparia Gloire de Montpellier, constituée de 138 individus, a été cartographiée génétiquement avec des marqueurs microsatellites. Cette descendance a été ensuite phénotypée en position de porte-greffe, avec un greffon unique. A partir de cet outil, des QTL ont été recherchés et identifiés pour la transpiration, l’efficience d’utilisation de l’eau et la plasticité de la transpiration induite par le porte-greffe, ainsi que pour plusieurs paramètres de la croissance et de l’allocation de la biomasse au sein de la plante entière. La plasticité de la transpiration réponse à l’état hydrique du substrat est déterminée génétiquement par des régions distinctes des autres caractères descriptifs de la consommation en eau. La colocalisation de gènes candidats dans les intervalles de confiance des QTL, impliqués dans la signalisation chimique (ABA) ou hydraulique (aquaporines) permet de formuler des hypothèses sur la signalisation porte-greffe/ greffon en condition de déficit hydrique. Des régions spécifiques du génome paraissent contrôler la croissance et la vigueur conférée par le porte-greffe en conditions de déficit hydrique. Ces régions sont également indépendantes de celles contrôlant la transpiration ou l’efficience d’utilisation de l’eau. Ce résultat permet d’envisager un travail de sélection pour ces deux catégories de caractères de manière indépendanteIn the water scarcity context with the global climate change, drought tolerance must be taken into account in crop genetic improvement program, particularly for grapevine rootstocks. The objective of this thesis was to analyse at the whole plant level, the genetic determinism of rootstock effect on the transpiration and growth of the scion, under edaphic water deficit conditions. The study of these complex traits, submitted to a strong genotype × environment interaction, was performed with a quantitative genetic approach. Genotype × environment interactions were integrated with two methods: first, using response curve to an environmental variable for detecting QTL, and secondly, to combine data in a multi-environment QTL analysis. The pedigree population consisted of 138 F1 individuals derived from the interspecific cross of Vitis vinifera Cabernet Sauvignon × Vitis riparia Gloire de Montpellier. This family was mapped with single sequence repeats (SSR) markers. This population was assessed as rootstock, so every genotype was grafted with the same scion. Then, QTL were detected for transpiration, water use efficiency and transpiration plasticity induced by rootstock, and for growth and biomass allocation inside the whole plant. Transpiration plasticity was represented as a function of substrate water status and was genetically determined with distinct genome regions from the other traits related to water consumption. Candidate genes involved in hormonal (ABA) or hydraulic (aquaporins) signaling between rootstock and scion, under water deficit conditions, were localized in the QTL confidence interval. Some specific genome regions were involved in growth and confered vigour genetic determinism under water deficit conditions. These regions were also different from those identified for transpiration or water use efficiency. This result allows a further selection process for these two traits groups independently

Le projet RootBourgogne

Vidéo sur le web de 4:37 : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sw40LnoVYFcQuels porte-greffes pour faire face aux enjeux actuels et à venir de la viticulture en Bourgogne ?[br/] En Bourgogne, la sous-utilisation de la diversité des porte-greffes est encore plus exacerbée que dans les autres bassins viticoles puisque 5 porte-greffes (41B, SO4, 3309C, 161-49C, Fercal) couvrent 95% du vignoble (France Agrimer, 2013). Dans cette liste, le 161-49C est concerné par des problèmes majeurs de dépérissement à l'échelle nationale et le 3309C peut présenter également des difficultés. Plus localement, il est aussi rapporté des difficultés avec le SO4. Pourtant, la diversité des porte-greffes déjà inscrits au catalogue national, bien que peu valorisée, représente un potentiel adaptatif très important. Par ailleurs, il est possible que certains porte-greffe étrangers, non encore inscrits en France, répondent aux demandes des viticulteurs et pépiniéristes. Le porte-greffe doit donc être mieux valorisé pour tirer le meilleur parti de la variété en maîtrisant les contraintes biotiques et abiotiques du sol.[br/] L'objectif du projet RootBourgogne est de caractériser l'adaptation aux sols chlorosants des 55 porte-greffes inclus dans le dispositif Greffadapt. Au sein de ce dispositif, une liste de 5 à 10 porte-greffes de vigueur conférée modérée et résistants, entre 10 et 25% de calcaire actif, ont été choisis en vue de l'implantation d'essais terrain en Bourgogne. Ce projet permettra de créer une dynamique collective autour du recueil d'informations sur le terrain sur les porte-greffes (essai porte-greffes, observations, ...). L'ensemble de ces informations viendra alimenter une base de données nationale qui permettra d'acquérir une vision globale du comportement des porte-greffes