The Biochar challenge in viticulture; enhance grape production and mitigate the effect of climate change in Mediterranean area
By Silvia Baronti, Francesco Primo Vaccari, Lorenzo Genesio, Anita Maienza
The main goal of viticulture is to maximize grape yields, vineyards management includes repeated tillage, crop residues removal, strict weed and pest control treatments. Soil and climate are very important factors in viticulture. To preserve soil quality in the long term it is important an adequate soil management. This post relates the results obtained in a study carried out to evaluate the use of biochar amendment of a vineyard, assessing the impact on soil functionality, VOC emission and fertility. Find out more
Aromatic evolution of blanc de noirs sparkling wines made by traditional method during twelve months of aging on their lees
By Cristina Úbeda and Mariona Gil i Cortiella
It is very important to increase tolerance to pathogens in conventional and biotechnology-assisted grapevine breeding programs. Both fungal and viral diseases cause losses in berry production, but also affect the quality of the final products. The introduction of genetic resistance is economically and environmentally desirable. This post describes the results of a study where grapevine plants expressing defense proteins, from fungal or plant origins, or of the coat protein gene of grapevine leafroll-associated virus 3 (GLRaV-3) were generated by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of somatic embryos and shoot apical meristems.
Psychological warfare in vineyards: Using drones and bird psychology to control bird damages to wine grapes
By Zihao Wang, Andrea S. Griffin, Andrew Lucas, KC Wong
Bird damage to wine grapes is a significant problem across the globe. Different strategies were tried to reduce bird damage but an efficient one was not yet found. This post discusses the results obtained with the use of novel Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV, more commonly referred to as drone) system incorporating bird psychology for efficient bird damage control. The UAV is equipped with a loud speaker broadcasting distress calls, as well as a crow taxidermy installed on the undercarriage that appears as captured prey. The experiments were carried out in vineyards around south-eastern Australia. The results show that this new strategy to protect vineyards from the birds is a promising one. Find out more
ABOUT ME
My name is Paula Silva and I decided to accept this challenge of being the responsible editor of this blog because I believe that science must be shared and because it is very important to update public with information’s based in scientific evidences. My purpose is to serve people who wants to know more about wine by fostering networking, education, discussion, and exchange. I hope that this blog can be a resource on current and emerging issues in wine research area.
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