Assessment of Nutritional and Quality Properties of Leaves and Musts in Three Local Spanish Grapevine Varieties Undergoing Controlled Climate Change Scenarios

Abstract

The market demand together with the need for alternatives to withstand climate change led to the recovery of autochthonous grapevine varieties. Under climate change, the summer pruning of vineyards may lead to an increase of vegetative residuals of nutritional and medicinal interest. The objectives of our study were (1) to evaluate the nutritional properties of the leaves of three local Spanish grapevines (Tinto Velasco, TV, Pasera, PAS, and Ambrosina, AMB) when grown under climate change conditions, and (2) to test the potentiality of these grapevines as suitable candidates to be cultivated under climate change scenarios based on the quality of their must. Experimental assays were performed with fruit-bearing cuttings grown in temperature gradient greenhouses that simulate rising CO2 (700 μmoL moL−1) and warming (ambient temperature +4 °C), either acting alone or in combination. TV and AMB were the most and the least affected by air temperature and CO2 concentration, respectively. The interaction of elevated CO2 with high temperature induced the accumulation of proteins and phenolic compounds in leaves of TV, thus enhancing their nutritional properties. In PAS, the negative effect of high temperature on protein contents was compensated for by elevated CO2. Warming was the most threatening scenario for maintaining the must quality in the three varieties, but elevated CO2 exerted a beneficial effect when acting alone and compensated for the negative effects of high temperatures. While TV may be a candidate to be cultivated in not very warm areas (higher altitudes or colder latitudes), PAS behaved as the most stable genotype under different environmental scenarios, making it the most versatile candidate for cultivation in areas affected by climate change.

Prospecting the Resilience of Several Spanish Ancient Varieties of Red Grape under Climate Change Scenarios

“…However, these modifications can be counteracted through adaptations in the plant material as well as in the viticultural techniques [ 38 ]. Concerning plant material, our recent studies supported the idea that ancient grapevine varieties can be useful to cope with the detrimental effects of climate change on grape quality [ 35 , 36 ]. These studies reported that the berry composition significantly varied in some ancient cultivars (including TEM, TV, and GRA) when plants undergo high air temperature combined with elevated atmospheric CO 2 .…”

“…The grapevine ( Vitis vinifera L.) varieties included in this study were selected from more than 65 genotypes recovered, from 2002 to 2020, in old vineyards (older than 65 years) that were identified using molecular markers [ 36 , 57 ], and multiplied and conserved in the germplasm bank of the Estación de Viticultura y Enología de Navarra (EVENA) (Navarra, Spain). Genetic profiles of the four varieties are presented in Supplementary Table S1 .…”

“…Recent studies point out that those ancient varieties might have a strong potential for adapting to the challenges imposed by climate change, making it an interesting option for cultivation in future conditions [ 33 , 34 ]. Such studies suggest that is needed to conserve the existing biodiversity of autochthonous grapevine genotypes, as some varieties could perform well in future climates, thereby opening new adaptation opportunities [ 35 , 36 ]. Considering all these precedents, the aim of the current research was to assess the response of four ancient grapevine varieties to high temperatures under different water availabilities, focusing on plant water relations, berry technological maturity parameters (i.e., sugars and titratable acidity), phenolic maturity (i.e., quantity and quality of phenolic compounds in skin and seeds), and grape antioxidant capacity.…”

More than Just Wine: The Nutritional Benefits of Grapevine Leaves

“…The increasing search for healthier diets as well as new products with health promoting characteristics, has drawn attention to grapevine leaves in the last few years. Grapevine leaves have already shown to be an excellent source of bioactive molecules, mainly phenolic compounds [9][10][11][12], and their antioxidant properties have been described to protect from and retard oxidative processes [12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22].…”