RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Climate Change Impacts on Vineyards in Warm and Dry Areas: Challenges and Opportunities
JF American Journal of Enology and Viticulture
JO Am J Enol Vitic.
FD American Society for Enology and Viticulture
SP 0740033
DO 10.5344/ajev.2023.23024
VO 74
IS 2
A1 Keller, Markus
YR 2023
UL http://www.ajevonline.org/content/74/2/0740033.abstract
AB Background and goals Climate change is challenging grape production everywhere, but especially in regions with warm and dry climates. Rising temperatures are increasing the plant water demand while decreasing the irrigation water supply. This overview explores how temperature and water availability impact grapevines to inform practices in warm-climate viticulture.Methods and key findings Integrating an historical perspective with recent physiological and phenological research shows that Vitis vinifera is a rather heat- and drought-tolerant species whose cultivars differ in their adaptability to diverse climates. Water-stressed grapevines reduce canopy gas exchange and growth, leading to more sun-exposed, and hence warmer, clusters with smaller berries, which alters grape composition. Both excessive heat and drought stress limit crop yield, and drought stress may threaten plant survival. Rising temperatures accelerate vine growth and development, and may advance or delay fruit ripening, but temperature responses and thresholds remain to be quantified. Exploiting the existing genetic diversity and using mechanization to manipulate crop yields may be effective strategies to counter the trend to earlier harvests and higher wine alcohol contents and to improve vineyard water-use efficiency.Conclusions and significance Though climate change poses challenges to the global grape and wine industries, the work reviewed here shows that grapevines are resilient and vary in their adaptability. This article encourages further research into utilizing the inherent genetic diversity of grapevines to choose or develop adapted cultivars and other mitigation strategies related to vineyard management.