Identification and Regionalization of Cold Resistance of Wine Grape Germplasms (V. vinifera)

Abstract

With the extreme changes of the global climate, winter freezing injury has become an important limiting factor for the development of the global grape industry. Therefore, there is a significant need for the screening of cold-resistant wine grape germplasms and cold regionalization for cold-resistant breeding and the development of grapevine cultivation in cold regions. In this study, the low-temperature half-lethal temperature (LT50) values were determined for the annual dormant branches of 124 wine grape germplasms (V. vinifera) to evaluate their cold resistance. The LT50 values of the 124 tested germplasms ranged from −22.01 °C to −13.18 °C, with six cold-resistant germplasms below −20 °C. Based on the LT50 values, the 124 germplasms were clustered into four types, with cold resistance from strong to weak in the order of type Ⅱ > type Ⅰ > type Ⅳ > type Ⅲ, corresponding to the four cold hardiness zones. Zones 1, 2, 3, and 4 included 6, 22, 68, and 28 germplasms, respectively, with decreasing cold resistance. The number of germplasms in different hardiness zones followed a normal distribution, with the most in zone 3. In Type Ⅱ, the fruit skin color of germplasms was positively correlated with cold hardiness, while the temperature of origin was negatively correlated with cold hardiness. The average LT50 of germplasms in different origin regions ranged from −17.44 °C to −16.26 °C, with differences among some regions. The cold regionalization analysis resulted in the distribution of 124 germplasms in four temperature regions in China with six germplasms in region A (−22 °C ≤ LT50 ≤ −20 °C), 30 germplasms in region B (−20°C ≤ LT50 ≤ −18°C), 71 germplasms in region C (−18 °C ≤ LT50 ≤ −15 °C), and 17 germplasms in region D (−15 °C ≤ LT50 ≤ −13 °C). Strong cold-resistant wine grape germplasms (V. vinifera) were identified, and these could be used as parental material for cold-resistant breeding. In some areas in China, soil-burial over-wintering strategies are used, but our results suggest that some wine grapes could be cultivated without requiring winter burial during overwintering. The results of this study should provide guidance for the selection of promising strains for cold-resistant breeding for expanded cultivation of improved varieties for wine grape production in China.

Screening of cold hardiness-related indexes and establishment of a comprehensive evaluation method for grapevines (V. vinifera)

“…The results showed that cold hardiness was in the order of Ecolly > Meili > Riesling > Italian Riesling > Pinot Noir > Yan73 > Viognier > Petit Manseng > Dunkelfelder > Cabernet Sauvignon > Granoir > Marselan > Ugni Blanc > Gewurztraminer > Chardonnay > Sauvignon Blanc > Syrah > Merlot > Cabernet Franc > Petit Verdot. This order is basically consistent with that of previous work to measure cold hardiness, but the measured LT 50 values are lower than other published values ( Chen et al., 2020b ; Wang et al., 2021b ). This difference may be related to specifics of our sampling location or sampling time.…”

“…As a main cultivar, V. vinifera grapes have extremely high economic value and are used to produce grapes consumed fresh or dried or used to make wine or juice. V. vinifera varieties are often used for as starting material to generate improved varieties and as parent materials for high-quality hardiness breeding ( Wang et al., 2021b ). However, the mature shoots of V. vinifera can only tolerate a low temperature of about -15°C during winter dormancy, so in some cold regions, such as northern China and the Russian far East, soil-burial over-wintering of vines has become the main cultivation mode of V. vinifera ( Wang et al., 2021b ).…”

“…V. vinifera varieties are often used for as starting material to generate improved varieties and as parent materials for high-quality hardiness breeding ( Wang et al., 2021b ). However, the mature shoots of V. vinifera can only tolerate a low temperature of about -15°C during winter dormancy, so in some cold regions, such as northern China and the Russian far East, soil-burial over-wintering of vines has become the main cultivation mode of V. vinifera ( Wang et al., 2021b ). Although effective, this practice is labor intensive, thus restricts the sustainable development of viticulture ( Han et al., 2021 ).…”

“…There have been many studies of the physiological and biochemical aspects of grapevine cold hardiness and different methods have been proposed to evaluate cold hardiness ( Avanci et al., 2010 ; Jeon et al., 2010 ; Jin et al., 2012 ; Zhang F. et al., 2012 ; Hu et al., 2013 ). The classical evaluation method of grapevine cold hardiness uses electrical conductivity (EL) to measure the electrolyte leakage of shoot tissues at low temperatures ( Sutinen et al., 1992 ; Elisa et al., 2009 ; Wang et al., 2021b ). The semi-lethal temperature (LT 50 ) can then be calculated from these measurements using the logistic equation ( Elisa et al., 2009 ).…”

“…There are many V. vinifera cultivars and the cold hardiness of different varieties varies, with few V. vinifera varieties are suitable for cultivation in any specific country or region ( Zhan and Li, 2010 ; Wang et al., 2021b ). Most research on V. vinifera has focused on cultivation management ( Ju et al., 2019 ; Yue et al., 2020 ; Wang et al., 2021a ; Yue et al., 2021 ), fruit quality regulation ( Bohan et al., 2020 ; Li et al., 2021 ; Yang N. et al., 2021 ), wine-making characteristics ( Sun et al., 2021 ; Wei et al., 2022 ), grape and wine nutrition ( Cheng et al., 2021 ; Xu et al., 2021 ; Yang C. et al., 2021 ), and hardiness improvement ( Liu R. et al., 2021 ; Wan et al., 2021 ; Wang X. et al., 2021 ; Wang et al., 2021c ; Wang et al., 2022 ), but there has been little comprehensive work to determine the most appropriate methods for the evaluation of cold hardiness in V. vinifera .…”