Freezing Tolerance and Chilling Fulfillment Differences in Cold Climate Grape Cultivars

Abstract

Grapevine sustainability is impacted by the timing of dormancy initiation and freezing tolerance in fall and winter and chilling fulfillment and bud break in the spring. These traits have genetic and local temperature contributing factors; therefore, this study was undertaken to develop an understanding of these characteristics in four recently developed cold climate cultivars. The cold hardiness and chilling fulfillment profiles were monitored in Brianna, Frontenac gris, La Crescent and Marquette using differential thermal analyses and bud break assays. Bud cold hardiness of all cultivars increased with the declining temperatures from November through February, after which the buds began to lose freezing tolerance. There were significant differences in cold hardiness and chilling fulfillment between cultivars during the endodormant and ecodormant period of winter. Marquette had the greatest freezing tolerance from early November through midwinter suggesting it has potential as a sentinel cultivar for comparisons of new cold climate selections. Brianna was slower to acclimate and deacclimated more rapidly than the other cultivars. Chilling fulfillment under natural field or constant 4 °C conditions showed no main effect differences for chilling accumulation condition; however, there were significant cultivar, condition, and time point interactions, indicating the cultivars differed in chilling fulfillment responses.

Evaluation of Sample Preparation Practices Common with Differential Thermal Analysis of Grapevine Bud Cold Hardiness

“…Common with Differential Thermal Analysis of Grapevine Bud Cold Hardiness Davenport et al 2008, Ferguson et al 2014, Shellie et al 2014, Londo and Martinson 2015, Buztepe et al 2017, Londo and Kovaleski 2017, Yilmaz et al 2021, and many other specialty crops. These include fruit crops such as peach (Prunus persica; Liu et al 2019), sweet cherry (Prunus avium; Kose and Kaya 2022), apricot (P. armeniaca; Kovaleski 2022), blackberries and raspberries (Rubus spp.…”

Mitigating grapevine winter damage in cold climate areas

“…The grapevine is affected by the dormancy initiation time and freezing tolerance in the fall and winter, chilling fulfilment and bud break in the spring. These traits are controlled by genetic bases and the temperatures in the vineyard are contributing factors (Yilmaz et al 2021). Knowledge of the genetic background of a cultivar is a key component in choosing genotypes that are adapted to a cold climate (Stafne 2007).…”

Death and Dying: Grapevine Survival, Cold Hardiness, and BLUPs and Winter BLUEs in North Dakota Vineyards

“…Multiple native North American species are more tolerant of winter temperatures than V. vinifera, such as V. riparia, which is capable of withstanding −40 • C [7][8][9][10]. The introduction of various interspecific hybrid cultivars combining European germplasm (V. vinifera) and North American species (V. aestivalis, V. riparia, V. labrusca, and other native Vitis species) throughout the middle to Life 2024, 14, 178 2 of 18 late 20th century has contributed to enhanced grape production in regions of the North Central and Northeastern states of the United States and Southern Canada [11,12].…”

“…North Dakota has harsh winters, with temperatures frequently falling below −35 • C [3,19]. In the continental environment, daily and weekly temperature fluctuations are very common and these sudden temperature decreases following warmer temperatures increase the possibility of freezing injuries during the grapevine's dormancy shoulder seasons (i.e., fall and spring), beyond traditional mid-winter cold damage [12].…”