Viticultural Manipulation and New Technologies to Address Environmental Challenges Caused by Climate Change

Abstract

Climate change is a critical challenge for the global grape and wine industry, as it can disrupt grapevine growth, production, and wine quality. Climate change could influence the cost-effectiveness and growth of the wine industry in different wine regions since grapevine development is deeply dependent on weather (short-term) and climate (long-term) conditions. Innovation and new technologies are needed to meet the challenge. This review article addresses the impact of climate change on grapevines, such as vine phenology, pest and disease pressure, crop load, and grape and wine composition. It also reviews recent advances in the areas of viticultural manipulation and relevant technologies to potentially reduce the impact of climate change and help growers improve grape quality. Remote sensing is used for vineyard microclimate monitoring; thermal sensors combined with UAVs, aircraft, or satellites are used for water management; soil electrical conductivity sensors have been developed for soil mapping. Viticultural manipulations, such as regulated deficit irrigation for water use efficiency and berry-ripening delay for growing quality fruit, are also discussed. The review assesses future directions for further technological development, such as soil and vine water monitoring devises, precision viticulture, and artificial intelligence in vineyards.

New Insights into the Production of Assyrtiko Wines from the Volcanic Terroir of Santorini Island Using Lachancea thermotolerans

“…Climate change is a threat to grapevine growers and the wine industry. Indeed, a variety of bioclimatic indices have been developed in order to scrutinize productivity in the field, accompanied by possible adaptation strategies [50][51][52][53][54][55][56][57][58][59][60]. At the winemaking level, the proposed strategies include chemical and microbiological acidification [61].…”

Vineyard Microclimatic Zoning as a Tool to Promote Sustainable Viticulture under Climate Change

“…Vineyard management strategies, such as canopy management [73] and irrigation [74], may need to be adjusted to mitigate the effects of extreme heat to achieve the wine characteristics of the region. Shading nets and kaolin applications are two common practices that offer distinct benefits, ranging from protection from extreme weather to pest management [75]. Despite the projected increase of days with very high temperatures, cv.…”

Effects of Climate Change on Viticulture (<em>Vitis</em> spp.)

“…Also soil electrical conductivity sensors for soil mapping have also been developed in recent years. Soil and vine water monitoring devices will be used more in vineyard areas in order to protect from the negative effects of climate change due to more technological developments such as sensitive viticulture and artificial intelligence in vineyards [100,101]. It is based on combining technical advances in global positioning system (GPS), onsite or aerial measurements of local microclimatic conditions, details of vineyard water and nutrient status, with measurements of several vine physiological parameters.…”