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A special issue of Agriculture (ISSN 2077-0472). This special issue belongs to the section "Crop Production".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2020) | Viewed by 42821

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Dr. José Manuel Moutinho Pereira

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Centre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences (CITAB), University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Apt. 1013, 5001-801 Vila Real, Portugal
Interests: abiotic stress; acclimation; adaptation strategies; plant physiology; stress responses; viticulture
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Dear Colleagues,

Agriculture in general and, in particular, the viticulture, play an important socioeconomic role in many parts of the world. As a result of this importance, over the last decades it is unequivocal the great effort that the growers have made to increase crop productivity, making these sectors generally more competitive on the global market.

However, in the main agricultural and viticultural areas, the stakeholders and decision-makers face new challenges and threats, some of the most important being related to climate change and other components of global change, such as the land misuse and soil degradation, intensive use of pesticides, invasive alien plants, endemic and invasive pests and diseases and genetic erosion of native species and varieties.

The main objective of this Special Issue is the publication of original research and review papers addressing the impact of these potential threats on the ecological, morphological, physiological, biochemical and molecular behaviour of crops and in what ways some suitable and environmentally friendly adaptation measures, such as judicious choice of species, cultivars and rootstocks in combination with good planting and training practices, could be implemented in order to increase the crop resilience, the production sustainability and ultimately the food security.

Prof. Dr. José Manuel Moutinho Pereira
Guest Editor

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Keywords

biotic or abiotic stress physiology
by-products valorization
canopy and soil management
climate change impacts
crop adaptations strategies
crop yield and quality
efficiency of resources
food security
innovative agronomic practices
sustainability of crop production

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Published Papers (10 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 765 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Impact of Early Basal Leaf Removal at Different Sides of the Canopy on Aglianico Grape Quality

by Luigi Tarricone, Michele Faccia, Gianvito Masi and Giuseppe Gambacorta

Agriculture 2020, 10(12), 630; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture10120630 - 14 Dec 2020

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3630

Abstract

It is known that early removal of basal leaves improves the exposure of cluster to direct sunlight and UV radiation, which positively influence the phenolic compounds and anthocyanin concentration of berries. This study was carried out to evaluate the effect of leaf removal applied before flowering to the basal zone of the canopy at different sides (fruit-zone north canopy side, south canopy side and north–south canopy side, respectively) of Aglianico vines trained to vertical shoot position system and row oriented to east–west (EW). The study was conducted in the controlled and guaranteed designation of origin (CGDO) Castel del Monte area (Apulia region, Italy). The treatment did not affect yield per vine, and nor sugar, pH, and total acidity of grapes. When it was applied to the basal south canopy side, the concentration of proanthocyanidins and total polyphenols of grapes increased, as well as antioxidant activity. In particular, anthocyanins content, determined by HPLC, increased by 20% with respect to control when treatment was applied to south and north–south canopy sides. Interaction between season period and treatment was found for all anthocyanins except for petunidin-3-coumaroyl-glucoside. Basal leaf removal applied to the north canopy side caused an increase in malvidin-3-O-glucoside content in grapes in 2016 and 2018, but not in 2017. Our results indicate that basal leaf removal (six basal leaves removed from the base of the shoots) before flowering (BBCH 57) can be used as an effective strategy to improve grape total polyphenols, anthocyanins concentration and antioxidant activity in vineyards cultivated under warm climate conditions. The treatment could represent a sustainable alternative to manual cluster thinning since it does not reduce yield per vine and can be performed mechanically. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Agriculture and Viticulture)

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21 pages, 2477 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Climate Change Impacts Assessment on Wine-Growing Bioclimatic Transition Areas

by Alba Piña-Rey, Estefanía González-Fernández, María Fernández-González, Mª. Nieves Lorenzo and Fco. Javier Rodríguez-Rajo

Agriculture 2020, 10(12), 605; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture10120605 - 7 Dec 2020

Cited by 24 | Viewed by 4246

Abstract

Viticultural climatic indices were assessed for the evaluation of the meteorological variations in the requirements of wine cultivars. The applied bioclimatic indices have been widely used to provide an initial evaluation of climate change impacts on grapevine and to delineate wine regions and suitable areas for planting around the world. The study was carried out over a period of 16 years (from 2000 to 2015) in five Designation of Origin areas in Northwestern Spain located in the Eurosiberian region, the transition zone between the Eurosiberian and the Mediterranean areas, and in the Mediterranean area. In addition, the high-resolution meteorological dataset “Spain02” was applied to the bioclimatic indices for the period 1950–2095. To further assess the performance of “Spain02”, Taylor diagrams were elaborated for the different bioclimatic indices. A significant trend to an increase of the Winkler, Huglin, Night Cold Index and GSS Indices was detected in the North-western Spain, whereas slight negative trends for BBLI and GSP Indices were observed. To analyze future projections 2061–2095, data from the high-resolution dynamically downscaled daily climate simulations from EURO-CORDEX project were used. To further assess the performance of Spain02, Taylor diagrams were elaborated for the different bioclimatic indices. A trend to an increase of the Winkler, Huglin, Night Cold Index and GSP Indices was detected in Northwestern Spain, whereas slight negative trends for BBLI and GSP Indices were observed. Our results showed that climatic conditions in the study region could variate for the crop in the future, more for Mediterranean than Eurosiberian bioclimatic area. Due to an advance in the phenological events or the vintage data, more alcohol-fortified wines and variations in the acidity level of wines could be expected in Northwestern Spain, these processes being most noticeable in the Mediterranean area. The projections for the BBLI and GSP Indices will induce a decrease in the pressure of the mildew attacks incidence in the areas located at the Eurosiberian region and the nearest transition zones. Projections showed if the trend of temperature increase continues, some cultural practice variations should be conducted in order to preserve the grape cultivation suitability in the studied area. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Agriculture and Viticulture)

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12 pages, 6539 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Performance and Establishment of a Commercial Mycorrhizal Inoculant in Viticulture

by Daniel Rosa, Antreas Pogiatzis, Pat Bowen, Vasilis Kokkoris, Andrew Richards, Taylor Holland and Miranda Hart

Agriculture 2020, 10(11), 539; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture10110539 - 10 Nov 2020

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 4279

Abstract

(1) Background: Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are symbiotic organisms that help plants acquire nutrients from the soil in exchange for photosynthetic carbon. Commercial AM fungal inoculants are widely available and are used extensively in agriculture including wine grape production. However, positive growth responses from inoculants are more consistent in the greenhouse compared to the field. (2) Methods: We grew three grapevine rootstocks with and without an AM fungal inoculant in the greenhouse for one year, then they were transplanted to the field for two years. To quantify the establishment of the inoculant, we analyzed root samples with a digital PCR assay. (3) Results: We show that AM fungal inoculation increased biomass production only in the greenhouse. After two growing seasons in the field, the commercial inoculant colonized roots but did not increase biomass production compared to uninoculated rootstocks. (4) Conclusions: This study highlights that AM fungal inoculants do not always promote growth of grapevines in the field. Future research should focus on inoculant strains designed for viticulture applications and take rootstock into consideration to maximize their efficacy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Agriculture and Viticulture)

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12 pages, 2146 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Vineyard Floor Management on Seasonal Changes of Cultivable Fungal Diversity in the Rhizosphere

by Barnabás Kovács, Csaba Dobolyi, Flóra Sebők, László Kocsis and Zoltán Tóth

Agriculture 2020, 10(11), 534; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture10110534 - 6 Nov 2020

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3262

Abstract

Vineyard floor management has been widely discussed for many decades, but it is still unclear how its intensity levels change the fungal community structure of grape rhizosphere. Our objective was to examine the density and rate of the habitats of fungi in three vineyards that differ only in the methods of tillage procedure applied, namely intensive, extensive and none (abandoned). The hypothesis was that in the cases of lower intensity or no soil tillage, there would be a higher level of fungal diversity with a lower ratio of pathogen strains in grape rhizosphere. In the course of this research, it has been determined that the level of fungal colonization of roots is the highest in the extensively managed vineyard, unrelated to season (spring and summer). Four of the five fungal genera detectable in all of the three sampled vineyards are registered as opportunist grape pathogens, however the fifth one, Trichoderma, is commonly used in biological plant protection. The diversity of fungal communities in grape rhizosphere, in accordance with the expectations, was the lowest in the intensively cultivated and highest in the abandoned vineyard, and it was not affected by seasons. The proportion of opportunist plant pathogen groups was higher in the intensive variant than in the other two (less-intensive variants); therefore, it is possible to conclude that soil under similar conditions but disturbed by intensive tillage methods tends to exhibit lower suppressivity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Agriculture and Viticulture)

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21 pages, 3567 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sustainable Biomass Pellets Production Using Vineyard Wastes

by Lacrimioara Senila, Ioan Tenu, Petru Carlescu, Oana Raluca Corduneanu, Emanuel Petru Dumitrachi, Eniko Kovacs, Daniela Alexandra Scurtu, Oana Cadar, Anca Becze, Marin Senila, Marius Roman, Diana Elena Dumitras and Cecilia Roman

Agriculture 2020, 10(11), 501; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture10110501 - 26 Oct 2020

Cited by 18 | Viewed by 4171

Abstract

Vineyards waste has a great importance as biomass, a renewable source of energy. In this paper eight vine shoot varieties were used for the production of pellets by densification of feedstock materials with four ranges of moisture contents (6–8%, 8–10%, 10–12% and 12–15%). A moisture content of 10% gave durability higher than 97.5% and a calorific value greater than 17 MJ kg⁻¹ and the small durability was obtained for 6–8% moisture. The study shows the significant influence of water during densification. The physicochemical and energetic properties of pellets were evaluated in accordance with ISO 17225-6 (2014). The obtained pellets were also structurally characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). SEM analysis showed the formation of carbon microsphere after pelletization, due to the increase of bulk density and durability of pellets. Also, XRD analysis revealed the crystallinity of cellulose, while TGA analysis showed a total decomposition of pellets. The obtained pellets were burned in a domestic boiler and the flue gases were measured. The preliminary results showed that the vineyard residues had higher emissions, but below the admitted limits, with the exception of carbon monoxide content. The obtained results suggested that the biomass wastes can be used for the production of pellets, aiming to enhance the research for the manufacturing of these sustainable biofuels with some remarks regarding risk of corrosion and slag formation during prolonged use. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Agriculture and Viticulture)

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15 pages, 2010 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Linking Sap Flow and Trunk Diameter Measurements to Assess Water Dynamics of Touriga-Nacional Grapevines Trained in Cordon and Guyot Systems

by Aureliano C. Malheiro, Mafalda Pires, Nuno Conceição, Ana M. Claro, Lia-Tânia Dinis and José Moutinho-Pereira

Agriculture 2020, 10(8), 315; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture10080315 - 1 Aug 2020

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3073

Abstract

The present research aimed to evaluate the water dynamics of grapevines trained in Cordon and Guyot systems by coupling sap flow and trunk diameter measurements under Mediterranean climate conditions. The study was conducted in a vineyard with Touriga-Nacional located at the Douro Valley, Portugal, during 2017. The results showed daily trunk diameter fluctuations (TDFs), with the contraction, recovery and increment phases and higher sap flow (SF) rates at earlier stages. Under harsh pedoclimatic conditions, SF was reduced and TDF flattened. Rehydration and stomatal mechanisms were mostly associated with these responses. Guyot vines showed higher changes in TDF for the same SF values, whereas the TDFs of Cordon vines remained practically unchanged over maturation. Guyot vines generally showed increased values of cumulative increment and maximum daily trunk shrinkage. Although Guyot vines had a similar leaf area index (LAI), they showed higher SF/LAI ratios than Cordon vines. These results highlight the effect of the shorter length of the hydraulic pathways of the Guyot training system, in contrast to the higher trunk and the permanent horizontal branch (cordon) of the Cordon training system, indicating good adaptation to local pedoclimatic conditions. The study pointed to the complementary use of both techniques in the evaluation of grapevine water dynamics. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Agriculture and Viticulture)

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12 pages, 682 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Autonomous Mowing and Turf-Type Bermudagrass as Innovations for An Environment-Friendly Floor Management of a Vineyard in Coastal Tuscany

by Simone Magni, Mino Sportelli, Nicola Grossi, Marco Volterrani, Alberto Minelli, Michel Pirchio, Marco Fontanelli, Christian Frasconi, Monica Gaetani, Luisa Martelloni, Andrea Peruzzi, Michele Raffaelli, Marco Mazzoncini, Daniele Antichi, Giovanni Caruso, Giacomo Palai, Alberto Materazzi, Gabriele Vittori and Lisa Caturegli

Agriculture 2020, 10(5), 189; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture10050189 - 25 May 2020

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 4149

Abstract

The establishment of permanent cover crops is becoming a common practice in vineyard floor management. Turfgrass science may provide species and techniques with a high potential for improving the sustainability of vineyard floor management. Based on this assumption, an experiment was carried out during 2018 and 2019 at the Donna Olimpia Vineyard, Bolgheri, Italy. The trial aimed at comparing an innovative floor management system based on a turf-type cultivar of bermudagrass mown with an autonomous mower with a conventional floor management system. Ground cover percentage, energy consumption, CO₂ emissions, grapevine water status, leaf nitrogen content, fruit yield and must composition have been assessed in order to perform the comparison. The innovative vineyard floor management produced an almost complete ground cover (98%) at the end of the second growing season, with the resident species reduced to a small percentage (4%). Resident species growing under-trellis were efficiently controlled without herbicide applications. A lower primary energy consumption and a reduction in CO₂ emissions were observed for the innovative management system compared to the conventional management system. Grapevine water status, leaf chlorophyll content, soil–plant analyses development (SPAD), fruit yields and must composition were similar between the different soil management systems. Based on results obtained in this trial, turf-type bermudagrass and innovative mowing machines may contribute to enhance the sustainability of vineyard floor management. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Agriculture and Viticulture)

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14 pages, 495 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sustainable Fertilizer Strategies for Vaccinium corymbosum x V. angustifolium under Abandoned Peatland Conditions

by Angela Koort, Marge Starast, Priit Põldma, Ulvi Moor, Leila Mainla, Mariana Maante-Kuljus and Kadri Karp

Agriculture 2020, 10(4), 121; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture10040121 - 10 Apr 2020

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3736

Abstract

Revegetating abandoned peatlands plays an important role in reducing the CO₂ footprint. One possibility for carbon reduction is cultivating blueberries as calcifuge plants in acidic peat soil. The aim of the experiment was to find out the effect of different fertilizers on half-highbush blueberry cultivar ‘Northblue’ growth and biochemical parameters in peatland conditions. The experiment was carried out in 2011–2015 with four organic and one mineral fertilizer, where three were composted chicken manure- and one maltose-based organic fertilizer. The soil of the experimental area belongs to the soil subgroup Fibri–Dystric Histosol with the peat layer 1.0–1.5 m deep. Organic fertilizer 4–1–2, which contained seaweed but had low phosphorus and potassium content, resulted in high yields in 2011 and 2013, with similar vegetative growth and comparable biochemical parameters as mineral fertilizer 6–14–23. The principal component analysis showed that the experimental year was more important in determining fruit parameters than the fertilizer type. However, our results indicated that the organic fertilizers are alternatives to mineral fertilizer for organic production. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Agriculture and Viticulture)

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12 pages, 1207 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Understanding the Quality of Local Vineyard Soils in Distinct Viticultural Areas: A Case Study in Alcubillas (La Mancha, Central Spain)

by Raimundo Jiménez-Ballesta, Sandra Bravo, José Angel Amorós, Caridad Pérez-de los Reyes, Jesús García-Pradas and Francisco J. García-Navarro

Agriculture 2020, 10(3), 66; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture10030066 - 6 Mar 2020

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3992

Abstract

The essential features of the soils of a pilot zone in La Mancha (Central Spain), namely the Alcubillas municipability, have been characterized. The soil properties that may contribute to a better understanding of the impact of soil on grape production have also, been evaluated. For this, several soil profiles have been described and analyzed and the profiles have been mapped. The soils are mainly Entisols, Inceptisols and Alfisols, with their evolution controlled by the action of a xerophytic Mediterranean climate. Most of these soils have a loamy clay texture, with medium clay contents and sufficient nutrient contents (despite the low content in organic matter 1.39% and 1.04%, and the high concentrations of calcium carbonate 23.7% and 26.9% in the surface and subsurface horizons, respectively). Drainage problems were not observed and it can therefore be stated that the Alcubillas vineyards are based on a ‘terroir’ term for the production of high quality grapes. In general, the soils are not subjected to treatments to control possible diseases or pests and we have therefore postulated that the soils represent the ideal scenario to establish a distinctive zone and for the increasingly valued ecological and natural viticulture. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Agriculture and Viticulture)

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Review

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13 pages, 1210 KiB

Open AccessReview

Morphology, Physiology and Analysis Techniques of Grapevine Bud Fruitfulness: A Review

by Ana I. Monteiro, Aureliano C. Malheiro and Eunice A. Bacelar

Agriculture 2021, 11(2), 127; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture11020127 - 5 Feb 2021

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 7381

Abstract

Grapevine reproductive development extends over two growing seasons (vegetative cycles), for the complete formation of inflorescences and clusters. Induction and floral differentiation, the mechanism that leads to the formation of reproductive structures inside dormant buds, is a complex process divided into three well-defined stages (formation of anlagen, inflorescence primordia and flowers). This sequence of stages comprises morphological, biochemical, and physiological events, influenced by a set of environmental and endogenous factors. Inflorescence primordia formation determines the potential number of clusters that will be formed in the following growing season. Thus, during bud dormancy, viticulturists and winemakers can obtain a first yield prediction through the determination of bud fruitfulness. This information allows adjustments to be made to bud load, promoting balanced yield and fruit quality and higher commercial value. The present review describes the morphology and physiology of the formation of inflorescence primordia, as well as discusses the main abiotic and biotic factors involved, including a physiological disorder known as primary bud necrosis. In the same way, we intend to approach the more used techniques of analysis of fruitfulness and its importance for a robust yield forecasting. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Agriculture and Viticulture)

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