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It has traditionally been thought that in the discourse of John 15 Jesus identifies himself as the vine and his followers as branches. Recently a different interpretation, in which Jesus is the vineyard and his disciples the vines, has begun to catch on. This article investigates the arguments of its original advocate, Chrys Caragounis, and finds them wanting. It shows that the new interpretation fails to appreciate that, whatever the evidence from more popular sources, any shifts of meaning for the two Greek terms involved cannot be clearly demonstrated from the LXX. Indeed, this critique demonstrates that the new proposal fails to identify correctly the LXX source of the imagery in John 15 and to acknowledge the significance of the evidence for an unbroken chain of interpretation of the two terms that runs from its source in Ezekiel through John 15 to the major Christian writers of the early centuries CE. It also refutes the alleged difficulties for traditional exegesis brought forward in the case for a shift of meaning and concludes that there is no convincing reason for abandoning the more appropriate reading of Jesus as the vine and his followers as branches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Societal Impact Statement: Table grape production is a traditional practice in southeastern Spain, where locals have produced fresh grapes and raisins for centuries. Many of these vines are now centenary, and they represent a useful source of diversity for developing future table grape varieties with improved traits. Genetic analysis showed that many of the local varieties identified in this study were traditional varieties from Western Mediterranean countries. Others were not identified, and they might be old grape varieties of previous importance in the region. The conservation and characterization of these varieties could be key to ensuring current and future vineyard sustainability. Summary: Current worldwide table grape production focuses on a reduced number of Vitis vinifera L. varieties. However, traditional farmers have grown many table grape varieties for centuries, as they provided a steady source of fresh fruit and raisins. These ancient living genotypes potentially store a genetic diversity that can be used now to ensure future grape production.Here we focused on the study of grapevines found across Almería, one of the Spanish regions with longer tradition in table grape production. After an exhaustive inspection, we located 220 old (some centenary) vines producing grapes consumed by owners or in abandoned areas no longer devoted to agriculture.Some of these vines were identified by comparing their simple sequence repeat (SSR) and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genetic profiles with available data from international databases. We found that, while grape growers' efforts focused on the cultivation of traditional grape varieties from Western Mediterranean regions, they also cultivated few exogenous varieties if they provided additional fruit features. Other vines were found to have genetic profiles that did not match reference datasets. Interestingly, some of them were found in multiple locations, suggesting they are endangered varieties with some previous relevance in the region. Besides, first‐degree relationships support the autochthonous origin of many of these unidentified genotypes.Locals kept a high number of different grapevine varieties, now considered reservoirs of genetic diversity. Traditional farming practices have been useful to prevent the loss of this diversity, which now needs to be preserved and further studied to contribute to the sustainability of viticultural systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The focus on rural landscapes, already present in 'Agenda 2000', is reconfirmed for the CAP 2023–2027 (Green Deal). The CAP programmes have, however, often turned out to be generic and unsuited to the multifaceted reality of Mediterranean Europe, while FAO-GIAHS and UNESCO World Heritage programmes suit large territories. Both, as well as the CAP, support the conservation or renaturalisation of rural landscapes but cannot apply prescriptions at the planning stage. In Italy, the 'Code of Cultural Heritage and Landscape' contains prescriptive measures that the regions must include in their Landscape Plan (RLP); the municipalities must then adopt Urban Plans in accordance with the RLP. In Sardinia, RLP has protected the coastal areas (49.6 per cent of the 24,000 km2 surface area of the island) since 2006 but does not provide detailed guidelines for inland areas. We therefore tested the methodology proposed by the Ministry of Agriculture for recovering Historic Rural Landscapes in a study area of 23.63 km2 located in the heart of the island (in Mandrolisai region), where the two rural villages of Atzara and Sorgono border a system of traditional vineyards. Comparison of the 1860–1880 Land Register data, images from the first (1954) and last air flight (2016) shows that the agro-silvo-pastoral system has not changed structurally. In 2016, 53 per cent of the analysed area retains the same land-use macrocategories as the 1954 aerial photographs. Despite wide fluctuations in some agricultural crops, the most characteristic ones tend to occupy the same places, e.g., 72 per cent of 2016 vineyards compared to 1954. The biggest changes have been the transformation of natural pastures into cork oak wooded pastures, due to the sustained demand for cork. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the technology for automated neural network monitoring of the vineyard's physiological condition. Images of leaves, obtained using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), are the main indicator of the physiological vineyard's condition. The proposed solution is based on the integrated use of convolutional neural network method (CNN) and machine vision technologies. To determine the optimal neural network (NN) model, a variant analysis was carried out. In accordance with its results, the YOLOv7 model was chosen, which satisfies the introduced time limit and provides the required detection quality. The training of the YOLOv7 neural network was implemented in the Python environment using the PyTorch framework and the OpenCV computer vision library. The dataset consisting of 6320 images of grape leaves (including healthy and diseased ones) has been used for neural network training. The obtained results showed that the detection accuracy is at least 91%. Visualization of monitoring results has been carried out using heatmap, allowing to obtain information about vineyard physiological condition in dynamics. The proposed mathematical model allows to calculate the monitored vineyard's area made by one complex per day. The obtained results showed that effective monitoring area using one DJI Phantom 4 UAV per day is 2.5 hectares. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Grapevine (Vitis vinifera) is the most widely cultivated and economically relevant crop in the world, but its productivity is menaced by aridification in some wine-growing regions such as the Mediterranean Basin. The impacts of climate on vines depend on regional conditions, cultivar, and vine age, among other factors. Hence, a better understanding of vine radial-growth responses to climate in different regions is sorely needed. First, we related climate data and drought severity with a long-term series of vine leaf unfolding from NE Spain to test if climate warming is advancing the onset of the growing season. Second, we used growth rings to estimate age and quantify climate-growth relationships of vines using dendrochronology. Three sites from different designations of origin and vine varieties were studied: Logroño in northern Spain (La Rioja, Tempranillo), San Martín del Río in northeast Spain (Calatayud, Garnacha) and Anzi in southern Italy (Aglianico, Aleatico). Vine leaf unfolding occurred earlier as winter-spring conditions were warmer and drier. Vine ages ranged between 16 (Logroño, Anzi) and 56 years (S. Martín del Río), and growth rates declined in the two youngest grapevines. Ring widths varied between 1.19 (S. Martín del Río) and 1.80 mm (Logroño), with Anzi showing intermediate values (1.37 mm). February precipitation enhanced vine growth in San Martín del Río (r = 0.64) and Anzi (r = 0.49), whereas the correlation with soil moisture peaked in March in San Martín del Río (r = 0.83). Vine growth rates positively responded to September minimum temperatures in San Martín del Río (r = 0.51) and Logroño (r = 0.50). Garnacha cultivar in San Martín del Río showed the highest responsiveness to water availability. Therefore, similar old grapevines from continental, seasonally dry areas could be the most negatively affected by future warmer and drier climate conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate evaluation of grapevine water use is essential for optimizing water management and maximizing grapevine yield and berry quality in Mediterranean climates. Understanding the water and heat flux dynamics in a vineyard during grapevine berry maturation is of utmost importance. This study focuses on evaluating sensible and latent energy fluxes at the canopy, the soil beneath the canopy, and the interrow areas. The primary objective is to develop a model framework for accurately estimating these energy fluxes, contributing to a better understanding of their behavior during berry ripening. The model's accuracy was assessed by comparing the estimated fluxes with those measured by an eddy-covariance system installed at a reference height of three meters in the experimental vineyard. This validation step was essential to confirm the model's ability to capture the intricate energy flux dynamics of the vineyard, especially during grape maturation. The results revealed a high level of agreement between the observed and estimated fluxes, confirming the model's reliability. This comprehensive evaluation of energy fluxes provides valuable insights for optimizing irrigation strategies. By doing so, this study contributes to improving grape quality, ensuring sustainable water resource use, and ultimately enhancing vineyard productivity in arid and water-scarce regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, the agriconstruction machinery sector has been involved in a great technological revolution. The reasons that may explain this are strictly connected to the mitigation of climate change. At the same time, there is a necessity to ensure an adequate production level in order to meet the increasing food demand due to the current population growth trend. In this context, the development of autonomously driven agricultural vehicles is one of the areas on which tractor manufacturers and academics are focusing. The fundamental prerequisite for an autonomous driving vehicle is the development of an appropriate motion strategy. Hence, the vehicle will be able to follow predetermined routes, accomplishing its missions. The aim of this study was the development of path-planning and path-following algorithms for an agricultural four-whee differential-drive vehicle operating in vineyard/orchard environments. The algorithms were completely developed within the MATLAB software environment. After a brief description of the geometrical characteristics of the vehicle, a parametric process to build a virtual orchard environment is proposed. Then, the functional principles of the autonomous driving algorithms are shown. Finally, the algorithms are tested, varying their main tuning parameters, and an indicator to quantify the algorithms' efficiency, named relative accuracy, is defined. The results obtained show the strong dependence between the relative accuracy and lookahead distance value assigned to the rover. Furthermore, an analysis of rover positioning errors was performed. The results in this case show a lower influence of the location error when the accuracy of the positioning device is within 2 cm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intensively managed viticulture dominates vast landscapes in the Mediterranean, but considerable vineyard abandonment has been observed over the past two decades. The effect of vineyard abandonment on biodiversity is poorly understood, making it difficult to assess the restoration potential of this common land-use change. We assessed biodiversity responses to vineyard abandonment in Vaucluse, Southern France, using birds as indicator group. We compared bird abundance and diversity in a sample of 64 vineyards, pairing 16 currently managed vineyards with 16 recently abandoned and 16 managed with 16 longer abandoned vineyards. We used mixed models and multivariate techniques to establish relationships between bird diversity and structural attributes of the habitats, and we derived management-specific population densities in a distance sampling approach. Long-abandoned vineyards hosted three times more species and showed a 3.6 times higher total bird abundance than managed viticulture. More recently abandoned vineyards had intermediate species numbers and abundance. Species richness patterns were not modulated by landscape composition and configuration, but higher abundances were found in landscapes with intermediate size of land-cover patches (i.e. field size). In managed vineyards, bird abundances were extremely low, with the exception of Woodlark Lullula arborea , which reached its highest abundance in managed vineyards. The bird community on abandoned vineyards shifted towards forest and woodland shrub species, likely driven by secondary succession, namely shrub encroachment and tree establishment. The strongly positive effects of land abandonment might be due to the fact that only single vineyards (not entire landscapes) were abandoned, thereby increasing habitat heterogeneity at the landscape scale. The future state of the old abandoned vineyards is difficult to predict. As of yet, the abandoned vineyards support a comparably diverse community of breeding birds that reach high abundances in comparison to managed vineyards, within an otherwise impoverished agricultural landscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intensively managed viticulture dominates vast landscapes in the Mediterranean, but considerable vineyard abandonment has been observed over the past two decades. The effect of vineyard abandonment on biodiversity is poorly understood, making it difficult to assess the restoration potential of this common land-use change.We assessed biodiversity responses to vineyard abandonment in Vaucluse, Southern France, using birds as indicator group. We compared bird abundance and diversity in a sample of 64 vineyards, pairing 16 currently managed vineyards with 16 recently abandoned and 16 managed with 16 longer abandoned vineyards. We used mixed models and multivariate techniques to establish relationships between bird diversity and structural attributes of the habitats, and we derived management-specific population densities in a distance sampling approach.Long-abandoned vineyards hosted three times more species and showed a 3.6 times higher total bird abundance than managed viticulture. More recently abandoned vineyards had intermediate species numbers and abundance. Species richness patterns were not modulated by landscape composition and configuration, but higher abundances were found in landscapes with intermediate size of land-cover patches (i.e. field size). In managed vineyards, bird abundances were extremely low, with the exception of Woodlark Lullula arborea, which reached its highest abundance in managed vineyards. The bird community on abandoned vineyards shifted towards forest and woodland shrub species, likely driven by secondary succession, namely shrub encroachment and tree establishment.The strongly positive effects of land abandonment might be due to the fact that only single vineyards (not entire landscapes) were abandoned, thereby increasing habitat heterogeneity at the landscape scale. The future state of the old abandoned vineyards is difficult to predict. As of yet, the abandoned vineyards support a comparably diverse community of breeding birds that reach high abundances in comparison to managed vineyards, within an otherwise impoverished agricultural landscape.

Microbes found in soil can have a significant impact on the taste and quality of wine, also referred to as wine terroir. To date, wine terroir has been thought to be associated with the physical and chemical characteristics of the soil. However, there is a fragmented understanding of the contribution of vineyard soil microbes to wine terroir. Additionally, vineyards can play an important role in carbon sequestration since the promotion of healthy soil and microbial communities directly impacts greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere. We review 24 studies that explore the role of soil microbial communities in vineyards and their influence on grapevine health, grape composition, and wine quality. Studies spanning 2015 to 2018 laid a foundation by exploring soil microbial biogeography in vineyards, vineyard management effects, and the reservoir function of soil microbes for grape-associated microbiota. On the other hand, studies spanning 2019 to 2023 appear to have a more specific and targeted approach, delving into the relationships between soil microbes and grape metabolites, the microbial distribution at different soil depths, and microbial influences on wine flavor and composition. Next, we identify research gaps and make recommendations for future work. Specifically, most of the studies utilize targeted sequencing (16S, 26S, ITS), which only reveals community composition. Utilizing high-throughput omics approaches such as shotgun sequencing (to infer function) and transcriptomics (for actual function) is vital to determining the specific mechanisms by which soil microbes influence grape chemistry. Going forward, understanding the long-term effects of vineyard management practices and climate change on soil microbiology, grapevine trunk diseases, and the role of bacteriophages in vineyard soil and wine-making would be a fruitful investigation. Overall, the studies presented shed light on the importance of soil microbiomes and their interactions with grapevines in shaping wine production. However, there are still many aspects of this complex ecosystem that require further exploration and understanding to support sustainable viticulture and enhance wine quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With disruptive technologies being employed in the wine industry, the Metaverse – defined as an interactive, immersive environment that allows users to traverse between virtual and physical worlds, and enables them to interact with digital content and each other in a shared space, transcending the limitations of time, space, and physicality in a more realistic and engaging way – provides evidence of intriguing opportunities to curate more immersive virtual vineyard experiences for consumers. We offer a glimpse of how the Metaverse can revolutionize consumers' wine tasting experiences. Drawing on extant literature on multisensory wine consumption and different technologies, we provide a comprehensive definition of the Metaverse and propose a VINEYARD framework for academics and practitioners to consider in navigating through the 'metaversification' of virtual vineyard experiences. Furthermore, we identify key benefits and potential challenges when incorporating the Metaverse into vineyard management and marketing. Finally, we propose several metrics for practitioners to assess the sustainable development of virtual vineyard experiences in the Metaverse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biocrusts, common in natural ecosystems, are specific assemblages of microorganisms at or on the soil surface with associated microorganisms extending into the top centimeter of soil. Agroecosystem biocrusts have similar rates of nitrogen (N) fixation as those in natural ecosystems, but it is unclear how agricultural management influences their composition and function. This study examined the total bacterial and diazotrophic communities of biocrusts in a citrus orchard and a vineyard that shared a similar climate and soil type but differed in management. To contrast climate and soil type, these biocrusts were also compared with those from an apple orchard. Unlike natural ecosystem biocrusts, these agroecosystem biocrusts were dominated by proteobacteria and had a lower abundance of cyanobacteria. All of the examined agroecosystem biocrust diazotroph communities were dominated by N-fixing cyanobacteria from the Nostocales order, similar to natural ecosystem cyanobacterial biocrusts. Lower irrigation and fertilizer in the vineyard compared with the citrus orchard could have contributed to biocrust microbial composition, whereas soil type and climate could have differentiated the apple orchard biocrust. Season did not influence the bacterial and diazotrophic community composition of any of these agroecosystem biocrusts. Overall, agricultural management and climatic and edaphic factors potentially influenced the community composition and function of these biocrusts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change has impacted viticulture in almost all of the Mediterranean area, mainly because of temperature rises and changes in precipitation patterns, thus influencing yield, quality, and the management of grape production. One of the measures to mitigate these effects is the adoption of irrigation strategies. This has environmental and economic implications. Thus, it seems essential to evaluate if irrigation is economically and environmentally justified to ensure the sustainability of the vineyard by preserving the water resource. The aim of this research is to compute wateruse indicators such as Water Productivity and Economic Water Productivity using field data obtained and to assess the economic impact of supplemental irrigation expenses through the analysis of a single case study. Since the results are heavily influenced by pedoclimatic conditions, vineyard structure, and economic decisions, the generalizability of our findings is not conceivable. However, our findings are valuable in determining when supplemental irrigation is or is not viable. Nonetheless, the findings might shed light on how water is managed in an Italian vineyard. Future supplemental irrigation plans ought to be developed using precision viticulture technologies to monitor the intricate soil-plant-environment system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The microbial diversity on the carposphere (berry) surface of the grape cultivar Cabernet Sauvignon grown in eight different locations/vineyards of Henan Province was determined by high-throughput sequencing of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene and fungal 18S rRNA gene. The structure of bacterial and fungal communities varied according to the sampling sites, but with some common phyla. Proteobacteria and Ascomycota were dominant/common phyla for bacteria and fungi, respectively. A total of 27 and 20 bacterial and fungal families, respectively, and 39 and 20 bacterial and fungal genera, respectively, with statistically significant differences, were found among different sampling sites. The difference for metabolic pathways of bacteria among the sampling sites existed. In addition, various abundances of enzymes from different sites might indicate that different function patterns exist in microbiota from different sites. The results revealed that locations of grape vineyards might play a significant role in shaping the microbiome, as well as the fact that vineyards can be distinguished based on the abundance of several key bacterial and fungal taxa. Overall, these findings extend our understanding of the similarities and differences in microbial community and their metabolic function on Cabernet Sauvignon grape surfaces from different geographic locations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThe Canary Islands are a Spanish archipelago of volcanic origin in the Atlantic Ocean near the Saharan coast. The extensive intricacy and multitude of variables inherent in the Canary Islands winemaking tradition have posed a substantial challenge, preventing comprehensive research on the main factors contributing to the character of local wine, thus, far. This challenge arises from a convergence of factors including the presence of 14 different grape varieties, and radically different climatic, soil and geographic conditions. This investigation sought to start unraveling this complexity by discerning the impacts of various geographical (specifically, island-related) and management factors (namely, organic vs. conventional practices) on soils and wines within the Canary Islands. Additional variables, such as wine type (red and white) and island of origin, were explored and correlated with the chosen management system. Pairs of organic and conventional wine and soil samples, possessing similar characteristics, were systematically collected from each of the seven wine-producing islands in the Canary archipelago. An examination of elemental composition, oenological attributes and fertility parameters was conducted, followed by comprehensive statistical analysis. Among the variables examined, only the island of origin emerged as statistically significant within the sample. Concerning soil fertility, organic samples exhibited elevated levels of organic matter compared to their conventional counterparts. No notable disparities were observed between the two production methods in terms of soil metal composition and other fertility parameters. However, it is noteworthy that four soil samples surpassed the legally permissible limits for Nickel (Ni) and Mercury (Hg), with three of these instances originating from Lanzarote.

The results of this study on 12 varieties of vineyard infested by Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann, 1824) (Diptera. Tephritidae) in AinTemouchent region (Algeria), showed that percentage of infestation varied between varieties and the fruit fly preferred the initial stage of fruit to oviposit. Also the level of proteins and sugar contents of vineyard varieties are differ between varieties and also depends of the infestation percentage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Sebou River Basin is vital for Moroccan agriculture, particularly in terms of producing industrial crops, fruits, vegetables, and olive oil. It is especially significant in viticulture, accounting for 80% and 60% of the national production area for wine and table grapes, respectively. However, the prevalence of diseases and pests requires extensive pesticide application in vineyards. This study aims to assess the impact of pesticides used in vineyards on the environment, human health and their associated sustainability. Agro-environmental indicators were evaluated across 30 vineyards covering 1197 hectares. Results show an average treatment frequency of 24.05 applications per growing cycle, the highest among grape-producing countries, with 77.94% being fungicides. The Quantity of Active Substances Indicator (QASI) reveals a high pesticide application rate of 44.60 Kg a.i./ha. Over 50% of chemicals are classified as "hazardous" based on the Environmental Impact Quotient (EIQ). A Pesticide Environmental Risk Indicator model (PERI) identifies three active ingredients with a high Environmental Risk Score (>5). Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) reveals that copper sulfate has significant environmental impacts compared to Mancozeb and sulfur. These findings highlight the extensive use of pesticides in vineyards, posing challenges to long-term sustainable agriculture due to associated environmental and health risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Xylotrechus arvicola represents a significant insect pest impacting Vitis vinifera within the principal wine-producing territories of the Iberian Peninsula. The larvae of this species bore into grapevine wood, resulting in significant structural and biomechanical deterioration to the plant. Compressive and flexural tests were conducted to assess the mechanical properties of wood affected by X. arvicola. Compressive and flexural strength exhibited a decline with the escalation of the Total Damaged Surface Area (TDSA) of the samples, ranging from 0.31% to 0.73% in trunks and from 0.04 to 0.76% in branches, irrespective of the wood moisture content (fresh and dry). The most significant reduction in resistance occurred in affected dry trunks and branches. Notably, the deflection at break for dry samples was lower compared to fresh samples (65.00 and 97.85 mm, respectively). Moreover, the deflection at break for affected fresh samples (164.37 mm) significantly surpassed that of unaffected fresh samples (72.58 mm) and affected dry samples (37.50 mm). It is noteworthy that a higher percentage of TDSA coincided with diminished wood resistance. The percentage of fungal growth symptoms observed in affected wood samples was 66.66% for dry trunks, 75.00% for fresh branches, and 60.00% for dry branches. The damage inflicted by larvae facilitated the spread of grapevine diseases via emergence of holes created by insects upon exiting the wood and through the larval galleries connected to them. This damage also altered the mechanical properties of grapevine plants, with fresh branches exhibiting the most pronounced effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The occurrence of Xiphinema species in the rhizosphere of vineyards showing general decline phenotype in North Italy was investigated. Most of the collected soil samples contained two Xiphinema species belonging to X. americanum-group, along with X. index. Using the integrative taxonomy approach, combining morphological, molecular and multivariate morphological analyses, the two populations of the X. americanum-group were identified as X. rivesi and X. pachtaicum. Furthermore, one male specimen of X. rivesi was recovered and the presence of three juvenile developmental stages was confirmed based on the scatter diagram. D2-D3 expansion domains of LSU, ITS region and partial COI were used to determine the phylogenetic relationships of the two Xiphinema species from North Italy with other species belonging to X. americanum-group. Five other Xiphinema populations from different geographical areas were included in this study and only molecularly identified as X. rivesi, X. pachtaicum and X. incertum by sequencing the ITS and D2-D3 expansion domains of LSU rDNA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spraying on tree crops must consider the canopy's structural features to maximize its effectiveness. The main drawbacks to Variable Rate Irrigation (VRI) technology include the complexity of successfully implementing it and the lack of evidence that it assures better performance in net profit or water savings. Hence, a novel framework based on canopy characterization was presented in this research for an automatic variable-rate spraying system. The first phase was collecting the data, and the next was cleaning it to eliminate redundant information. The pre-treated data are then entered into the Crest- Stride-wise Regression Framework we devised, where we extract the canopy features and evaluate additional parameters. In addition, our proposed model automatically predicts the nozzle's flow rate and pressure based on a threshold value. Thus, this research shows that the recommended strategy achieves 99.98% accuracy, 99.99% precision, 99.99% F1 score, and 99.99% recall. As a result, our study enables safer and more efficient spraying distribution in the agricultural sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water is a limiting factor and to adopt the most appropriate agronomic strategy it is necessary to know the water status. The objective is (i) analysing of the influence of different agronomic treatments on canopy temperature in vineyards with a thermal camera on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), (ii) analysing of the influence of different agronomic treatments on vineyard water potentials with a pressure chamber, (iii) advanced technical feasibility analysis of vineyard crop monitoring. The control treatment (T07) in cv. Grenache consisted of applying 30% of reference evapotranspiration (ETo) with irrigation frequency every seven days and seven different treatments were proposed with different irrigation frequencies, pre-bud irrigation, and vine shoot distribution (T03, T15, T7A, T7V, T7P, T00, and T0P). As a result and in conclusion, the use of thermal cameras in UAVs and mid-day stem water potential allows differentiation between irrigated and unirrigated treatments, but no clear differences were shown between irrigation frequencies, pre-irrigation treatment, or vine shoot distribution. Comparing the thermal camera information in UAV and the stem water potential, certain patterns are identified with significant correlation values, the use of thermal cameras for the evaluation of plant water status is recommended, especially to obtain information in large areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural management influences the soil ecosystem by affecting its physicochemical properties, residues of pesticides and microbiome. As vineyards grow crops with the highest incidence of pesticides, the aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of conventional and sustainable management systems of vineyards from DOP Ribeiro on the soil's condition. Samples from soils under three different management systems were collected, and the main soil physicochemical properties were evaluated. A selection of 50 pesticides were investigated by liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. The bacterial and fungal microbiomes were characterized through amplicon sequencing. The results show that organic agriculture positively influences soil pH and the concentration of some nutrients compared to conventional management. Our microbiome analysis demonstrated that transitioning from conventional to organic management significantly improves several BeCrop® indexes related to key microbial metabolism and soil bio-sustainability. Such a transition does not affect soil alpha diversity, but leads to a higher interconnected microbial network structure. Moreover, differential core genera and species for each management system are observed. In addition, the correlation of the microbiome with geographical distance is evidence of the existence of different microbial terroirs within DOP Ribeiro. Indeed, sustainable management leads to higher nutrient availability and enhances soil health in the short term, while lowering pesticide usage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Xylotrechus arvicola Olivier 1795 (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) is an insect pest that affects Vitis vinifera L. 1753 (Vitales: Vitaceae) plants in the main wine-producing regions of Spain. X. arvicola larvae bore into grapevine wood, causing both direct damage (ingestion of vascular tissues) and indirect damages (introduction of wood fungi) to the plant. The aim of research was to evaluate the effective section of wood damaged by larvae and assess its resistance capacity through compression tests and loading and breaking times. Compressive tests (on trunks) and flexural tests (on branches) were performed to evaluate the effective section. Trunk samples exhibited a higher effective section than branches samples, with effective section percentages ranging from 91.49 % to 93.53 % in trunks and decreasing from 84.91 % to 86.95 % in branches. Both loading times (Time 1) and breakage times (Time 2) increased with the effective section of the wood, although these times were lower in damaged wood samples of both trunks and branches. Additionally, significant differences were observed in the interactions between loading time x effective section and breakage time x effective section in dry trunks. This indicates a stronger relationship between the effective section and increased resistance in trunks. The results suggest that, in ‘Tempranillo’ variety, branches with a lower effective section are more prone to breakage when affected by X. arvicola larvae, whereas trunks, with a greater effective section, maintain better stability. This research should be continued with the evaluation of other vine varieties and different years of X. arvicola attacks, as the current findings are based on a single variety (‘Tempranillo’) over a period of ten years.

Accurate evaluation of grapevine water use is essential for optimizing water management and maximizing grapevine yield and berry quality in Mediterranean climates. Understanding the water and heat flux dynamics in a vineyard during grapevine berry maturation is of utmost importance. This study focuses on evaluating sensible and latent energy fluxes at the canopy, the soil beneath the canopy, and the interrow areas. The primary objective is to develop a model framework for accurately estimating these energy fluxes, contributing to a better understanding of their behavior during berry ripening. The model’s accuracy was assessed by comparing the estimated fluxes with those measured by an eddy-covariance system installed at a reference height of three meters in the experimental vineyard. This validation step was essential to confirm the model’s ability to capture the intricate energy flux dynamics of the vineyard, especially during grape maturation. The results revealed a high level of agreement between the observed and estimated fluxes, confirming the model’s reliability. This comprehensive evaluation of energy fluxes provides valuable insights for optimizing irrigation strategies. By doing so, this study contributes to improving grape quality, ensuring sustainable water resource use, and ultimately enhancing vineyard productivity in arid and water-scarce regions.

Introduction: Continuous cropping affected the stability of soil enzyme activity and the structural characteristics of microbial community. Owing to challenges in the study of complex rhizosphere microbial communities, the composition and function of these microbial communities in farmland ecosystems remain elusive. Here, we studied the microbial communities of the rhizosphere of wine grapes with different years of continuous cropping and investigated their relationships with soil enzyme activity. Methods: Metagenomic sequencing was conducted on the rhizosphere soils from one uncultivated wasteland and four vineyards with varying durations of continuous cropping. Results: The predominant microbial were bacteria (98.39%), followed by archaea (1.15%) and eukaryotes (0.45%). Continuous cropping caused a significant increase in the relative abundance of Rhizobiales and Micrococcales but a marked decrease in Solirubrobacterales. At the genus level, 75, 88, 65, 132, and 128 microbial genera were unique to uncultivated wasteland, 5, 10, 15, and 20 years of continuous cropping, respectively. The relative abundance of genes with signal transduction function was the highest. The activity of all enzymes measured in this study peaked at 5 years of continuous cropping, and then decreased with 10 to 15 year of continuous cropping, but increased at 20 years again. In addition, soil enzyme activity, especially of alkaline phosphatase was significantly correlated with the diversity of the dominant microorganisms at the genus level. Moreover, the coupled enzyme activities had a greater impact on the diversity of the microbial community than that of individual enzymes. Conclusion: Our findings reveal the composition and function of the soil microbial communities and enzymes activity in response to changes in cropping years, which has important implications for overcoming continuous cropping obstacles and optimizing land use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The domestication of vines started in Asia 11,000 years ago, although it was not until the 19th century that oenology was established as a scientific discipline thanks to the research of Louis Pasteur on the role of microorganisms in wine fermentation. At the present time, the progression in next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies is helping to facilitate the identification of microbial dynamics during winemaking. These advancements have aided winemakers in gaining a more comprehensive understanding of the role of microbiota in the fermentation process, which, in turn, is ultimately responsible for the delivery of provisioning (wine features and its production), regulating (such as carbon storage by vineyards, regulation of soil quality, and biocontrol of pests and diseases) or cultural (such as aesthetic values of vineyard landscapes, scholarly enjoyment of wine, and a sense of belonging in wine-growing regions) ecosystem services. To our knowledge, this is the first review of the state of knowledge on the role of microbiota in the delivery of ecosystem services in the wine sector, as well as the possibility of valuing them in monetary terms by operating logic chains, such as those suggested by the SEEA-EA framework. This paper concludes with a review of management practices that may enhance the value of microbiota ecosystem services and the role of smart farming in this task. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional techniques for estimating the weight of clusters in a winery, generally consist of manually counting the variety of clusters per vine, and scaling by means of the entire variety of vines. This method can be arduous, and costly, and its accuracy depends on the scale of the sample. To overcome these problems, hybrid approaches of computer vision, deep learning (DL), and machine learning (ML) based vineyard yield prediction systems are proposed. Self-prepared datasets are used for comparative analysis of 2D and 3D yield prediction systems for vineyards. DL-based approach for segmentation operation on an RGB-D image dataset created with the D435I camera is used along with the ML-based weight prediction technique of grape clusters present in the single image using these datasets. A comparative analysis of the DL-based Keras regression model and various ML-based regression models for the weight prediction task is taken into account, and finally, a prediction model is proposed to estimate the yield of the entire vineyard. The analysis shows improved performance with the 3D vineyard yield prediction system compared to the 2D vineyard yield prediction system with grape cluster segmentation pixel accuracy up to 94.81% and yield prediction accuracy up to 99.58%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article we analyse the evolution of the grapes yield and their sugar content belonging to "Fetească Regală" vineyard variety cultivated in climatic conditions of Transylvanian region, Romania, covering the time period 2020-2022. In each experimental year, daily temperatures and precipitations were recorded during the grapevine vegetation period. Grapevine yield and sugar content was recorded at the end of each vegetation period. Averages were calculated yearly and by entire experimental period. Descriptive statistics and multi regression approach were implemented to calculate de averages, dispersion parameters, significance of differences, and relationships between the climatic factors and production traits. Overall datasets concerning grapes yields and their sugar content expressed a normal distribution. Our study emphasizes that precipitations have low influence on grapes yields and their sugar content, while temperature is positively associated with both above mentioned quantitative traits. When expressed by experimental years, increased temperatures led to higher yields and sugar content, significant differences are reported among yearly values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the pursuit of enhancing the wine production process through the utilization of new technologies in viticulture, this study presents a novel approach for the rapid assessment of wine grape maturity levels using non-destructive, in situ infrared spectroscopy and artificial intelligence techniques. Building upon our previous work focused on estimating sugar content ( ∘ Brix) from the visible and near-infrared (VNIR) and short-wave infrared (SWIR) regions, this research expands its scope to encompass pH and titratable acidity, critical parameters determining the grape maturity degree, and in turn, wine quality, offering a more representative estimation pathway. Data were collected from four grape varieties—Chardonnay, Malagouzia, Sauvignon Blanc, and Syrah—during the 2023 harvest and pre-harvest phenological stages in the vineyards of Ktima Gerovassiliou, northern Greece. A comprehensive spectral library was developed, covering the VNIR–SWIR spectrum (350–2500 nm), with measurements performed in situ. Ground truth data for pH, titratable acidity, and sugar content were obtained using conventional laboratory methods: total soluble solids (TSS) ( ∘ Brix) by refractometry, titratable acidity by titration (expressed as mg tartaric acid per liter of must) and pH by a pH meter, analyzed at different maturation stages in the must samples. The maturity indicators were predicted from the point hyperspectral data by employing machine learning algorithms, including Partial Least Squares regression (PLS), Random Forest regression (RF), Support Vector Regression (SVR), and Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN), in conjunction with various pre-processing techniques. Multi-output models were also considered to simultaneously predict all three indicators to exploit their intercorrelations. A novel multi-input–multi-output CNN model was also proposed, incorporating a multi-head attention mechanism and enabling the identification of the spectral regions it focuses on, and thus having a higher interpretability degree. Our results indicate high accuracy in the estimation of sugar content, pH, and titratable acidity, with the best models yielding mean R 2 values of 0.84, 0.76, and 0.79, respectively, across all properties. The multi-output models did not improve the prediction results compared to the best single-output models, and the proposed CNN model was on par with the next best model. The interpretability analysis highlighted that the CNN model focused on spectral regions associated with the presence of sugars (i.e., glucose and fructose) and of the carboxylic acid group. This study underscores the potential of portable spectrometry for real-time, non-destructive assessments of wine grape maturity, thereby providing valuable tools for informed decision making in the wine production industry. By integrating pH and titratable acidity into the analysis, our approach offers a holistic view of grape quality, facilitating more comprehensive and efficient viticultural practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water scarcity is a worldwide problem, which leads to unprecedented pressure on water supply in arid and semi-arid regions. Treated wastewater is an alternative water resource, therefore, its reuse for agricultural irrigation has been growing worldwide since the beginning of the 21st century. In several regions of wine-producing countries (e.g., Australia, California – USA, Spain), wastewater reuse appears to be the most accessible alternative, both financially and technically, for agricultural uses that notably do not require drinking water. From the summer of 2022, vine irrigation full-scale implementation will start with tertiary treated municipal wastewater in the French Languedoc region. This was made possible thanks to a collaborative research project conducted between 2013 and 2018 to address all potential health and environmental risks associated with this process. This research project was conducted in the south of France, with experimental and control plots both equipped with drip irrigation systems. All the results produced during the research project demonstrated the feasibility of applying this process for vine drip irrigation while effectively managing health and environmental risks and complying with the regulation. A social acceptance and economic study were also performed in order to broaden the scope of the project scalability evaluation. HIGHLIGHTS Low cost and robust technology.; Process easy to ‘Copy and adapt’.; Consideration of environmental and health aspects.; Sustaining the wine industry at a regional scale.; First deployment at full-scale following the research project.;

Microbes found in soil can have a significant impact on the taste and quality of wine, also referred to as wine terroir. To date, wine terroir has been thought to be associated with the physical and chemical characteristics of the soil. However, there is a fragmented understanding of the contribution of vineyard soil microbes to wine terroir. Additionally, vineyards can play an important role in carbon sequestration since the promotion of healthy soil and microbial communities directly impacts greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere. We review 24 studies that explore the role of soil microbial communities in vineyards and their influence on grapevine health, grape composition, and wine quality. Studies spanning 2015 to 2018 laid a foundation by exploring soil microbial biogeography in vineyards, vineyard management effects, and the reservoir function of soil microbes for grape-associated microbiota. On the other hand, studies spanning 2019 to 2023 appear to have a more specific and targeted approach, delving into the relationships between soil microbes and grape metabolites, the microbial distribution at different soil depths, and microbial influences on wine flavor and composition. Next, we identify research gaps and make recommendations for future work. Specifically, most of the studies utilize targeted sequencing (16S, 26S, ITS), which only reveals community composition. Utilizing high-throughput omics approaches such as shotgun sequencing (to infer function) and transcriptomics (for actual function) is vital to determining the specific mechanisms by which soil microbes influence grape chemistry. Going forward, understanding the long-term effects of vineyard management practices and climate change on soil microbiology, grapevine trunk diseases, and the role of bacteriophages in vineyard soil and wine-making would be a fruitful investigation. Overall, the studies presented shed light on the importance of soil microbiomes and their interactions with grapevines in shaping wine production. However, there are still many aspects of this complex ecosystem that require further exploration and understanding to support sustainable viticulture and enhance wine quality.

The chemo-morphological properties of soils on ancient landforms (quarzitic pliocene alluvial fans, pleistocene terraces), namely “rañizos”, on middle-high mountains (Eastern-Central System, Iberian Peninsula, Rio Negro, Cogolludo) were investigated. Several properties were analyzed by standard procedures. A detailed soil diagnostics and classification on “rañizos” were done, unlike those widely studied on “rañas” (similar landform), by identifying parallel pedogenetic processes in both formations. The genetic and geographic features of Alfisols, Ultisols and Inceptisols are closely related to the nature of their parent materials, based on quartzite and quartz conglomerates, sometimes with an arkosic matrix, red shale, polygenic gravels and pebbles. Soil features were determined by genuine soil-forming inherent lithological rock properties. Other driving factors were flat topography and enough soil formation time to allow intense pedogenesis. The main soil-forming processes were intense weathering, clay enrichment horizons with illuviation, red color caused by iron oxide dehydration and signs of pseudogleyzation processes. Such pedological formations can be considered endemisms; that is, “rare” soils and, up to a point, “relict”. The soil reaction is acid/slightly acid with low base saturation. Despite lying on mountains, soils are characterized by moderate-low organic matter content. Soil conditions and climate provide good vine production requirements despite acidity levels. A common feature of all Rio Negro soils is the presence of gravel (size up to 3–5 cm), which is evenly distributed on arable layers. The results can be used to assess vineyard soil use in a potential Pago (Protected Denomination of Origin) and to extend the database of vineyard soils from poorly studied Mediterranean continental mountain regions.

Sustainable agricultural practices are increasingly becoming a strategic asset for global and national environmental policies and economy. A big challenge is the selection of appropriate indicators to describe the complexity of the agroecosystem management. In the present work, the sustainability of grape production, in vineyard trials of Pinot blanc and Rhine Riesling, managed with integrated (INT) and organic management (organic, with cattle manure ORG1 and organic with green manure ORG2), was compared using a multi-indicator approach. The experiment was set in 2011 (1.5 ha in Trento, Italy) and carbon footprint (CF), nitrogen footprint (NF), water footprint (WF), soil microbial diversity (alpha diversity of bacteria, fungi, oomycetes communities) and soil C stock change, were evaluated in 2018. The CF was 0.213—0.227 kg CO2-eq/kg in the INT, 0.144—0.168 kg CO2-eq/kg in ORG1 and 0.134—0.147 kg CO2-eq/kg in ORG2. The NF was around 1 g Nr/kg for the INT, 0.4 g Nr/kg for ORG1 and 0.5 g Nr/kg for ORG2. The WF, excluding the pesticides impact on grey water, was 666—708 L/kg for INT, 605—655 L/kg for ORG1 and 529—580 L/kg for ORG2. The impact of farming practices on soil microbial alpha diversity showed no significant difference among treatments for oomycetes and significantly higher indexes for fungi and bacteria in the ORG1, with INT and ORG2, being similar. No difference in bulk organic C were observed among treatments. Overall, the multi-indicator approach allowed to demonstrate that the organic management was more beneficial for most of the environmental spheres of the agroecosystem compared to integrated management, without affecting the grape yield.

The efficient management of irrigation water can affect crop profitability quite significantly. The application of precision irrigation based on soil monitoring can help manage water resources. In viticulture, the irrigation technique is thought to strongly influence grape ripening and the final grape composition. In this study, an irrigation decision support system was compared to a surface drip irrigation system in a commercial vineyard located in Andrea (Southern Italy) planted with Vitis vinifera cv. Montepulciano. We aimed to investigate the ability of the DSS to save water while maintaining an acceptable yield and quality of the grapes. To allow for the comparison, eco-physiological as well as yield parameters were measured during the irrigation periods in both irrigation systems over two years (2019 and 2020). The results indicate that the vines grown using the DSS treatment were less stressed compared to the plants grown using farm irrigation in both years. The yield attributes showed slight or no significant differences between the treatments. The quality results showed no significant differences between the treatments in both years. Our results indicate that with savings of 10% and 17% of the irrigation water in the first and second year, respectively, the DSS was able to maintain good yield and quality levels as compared to the farm irrigation system. These two-year results provide a promising implementation of its use in precision irrigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aotearoa (New Zealand) has a strong and growing winegrape industry struggling to access workers to complete skilled, seasonal tasks such as pruning. Maintaining high-producing vines requires training agricultural workers that can make quality cane pruning decisions, which can be difficult when workers are not readily available. A novel vision system for an autonomous cane pruning robot is presented that can assess a vine to make quality pruning decisions like an expert. The vision system is designed to generate an accurate digital 3D model of a vine with skeletonised cane structures to estimate key pruning metrics for each cane. The presented approach has been extensively evaluated in a real-world vineyard as a commercial platform would be expected to operate. The system is demonstrated to perform consistently at extracting dimensionally accurate digital models of the vines. Detailed evaluation of the digital models shows that 51.45% of the canes were modelled entirely, with a further 35.51% only missing a single internode connection. The quantified results demonstrate that the robotic platform can generate dimensionally accurate metrics of the canes for future decision-making and automation of pruning. • Presents a novel robotic platform that visually constructs 3D Models of grapevines. • A thorough evaluation shows 85% of the vines cane structure is captured correctly. • The 3D Models vine structure is accurate to within millimeters of the real canes. • The 3D Models are precise enough to produce expert evaluations of the canes quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil characteristics, land management practices, and plant genotypes influence arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) communities, leading to the proliferation of AMF taxa with different growth and nutritional outcomes in their hosts. However, the specific patterns driving these relationships are still not well understood. This study aimed to (1) evaluate the influence of soil characteristics, land use, and rootstock on AMF diversity and community structure and (2) assess the effect of those AMF communities on grapevine growth and nutrition. Soil samples were collected from vineyard and non-agricultural areas in Lisbon and Pegões, Portugal, and trap cultures established using Richter 110 and 1103 Paulsen rootstocks. After 3.5 months growth under greenhouse conditions, root-associated AMF communities were assessed by amplicon metagenomic sequencing using AMF-specific primers. Alpha diversity was only influenced by the soil type, while in β-diversity, an interaction was found between the soil type and land use. Both diversity measures were positively correlated with foliar K and negatively with leaf Mn and Mg. Notably, the concentrations of these nutrients were highly correlated with the relative abundance of operational taxonomic units (OTUs) within the genera Glomus, Rhizophagus, and Claroideoglomus. These results are valuable for supporting AMF selection for improved plant nutrition based on varying soil types and land uses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to compare the effects of two vineyard management practices on the soil and its associated microbiota. The experiments were conducted in two adjacent plots, one completely organically managed and the other conventionally managed in terms of phytosanitary treatments but fertilized with organic amendments. The chemical soil analyses were correlated to the prokaryotic and fungal communities, which were studied using the metabarcoding technique. The main difference between the two treatments was a significantly higher amount of Cu in the organic managed vineyard soil, while conventional managed soil presented higher concentration of Na and Mg and was also associated with higher pH values. Despite these differences, no significant diversities were observed on soil biodiversity and microbial composition considering alpha and beta diversity metrics. However, the percentages of some phyla analyzed individually differed significantly between the two managements. Analyzing the metabolisms of these phyla, it was discovered an increment of species correlated to soils with higher organic matter content or land not used for agricultural purposes in the organic treated soil. The findings indicate that, despite the use of copper-based phytosanitary products, there was no degradation and loss of biodiversity in the organic soil microbial population compared to conventional management with the same type of fertilization, and the observed microbial population was more similar to that of natural soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) thermal imagery is rapidly becoming an essential tool in precision agriculture. Its ability to enable widespread crop status assessment is increasingly critical, given escalating water demands and limited resources, which drive the need for optimizing water use and crop yield through well-planned irrigation and vegetation management. Despite advancements in crop assessment methodologies, including the use of vegetation indices, 2D mapping, and 3D point cloud technologies, some aspects remain less understood. For instance, mission plans often capture nadir and oblique images simultaneously, which can be time- and resource-intensive, without a clear understanding of each image type's impact. This issue is particularly critical for crops with specific growth patterns, such as woody crops, which grow vertically. This research aims to investigate the role of nadir and oblique images in the generation of CWSI (Crop Water Stress Index) maps and CWSI point clouds, that is 2D and 3D products, in woody crops for precision agriculture. To this end, products were generated using Agisoft Metashape, ArcGIS Pro, and CloudCompare to explore the effects of various flight configurations on the final outcome, seeking to identify the most efficient workflow for each remote sensing product. A linear regression analysis reveals that, for generating 2D products (orthomosaics), combining flight angles is redundant, while 3D products (point clouds) are generated equally from nadir and oblique images. Volume calculations show that combining nadir and oblique flights yields the most accurate results for CWSI point clouds compared to LiDAR in terms of geometric representation (R2 = 0.72), followed by the nadir flight (R2 = 0.68), and, finally, the oblique flight (R2 = 0.54). Thus, point clouds offer a fuller perspective of the canopy. To our knowledge, this is the first time that CWSI point clouds have been used for precision viticulture, and this knowledge can aid farm managers, technicians, or UAV pilots in optimizing the capture of UAV image datasets in line with their specific goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some knowledge gaps still remain regarding carbon sequestration in non-irrigated agroecosystems, where plants may experience drought stress during summertime. Therefore, by the combination of the eddy covariance (EC) and soil chamber techniques, we determined the role of a non-irrigated grassed vineyard in carbon sequestration in the Slovak Republic. Based on the EC data, the cumulative net uptake of CO2 (NEE) for the whole growing season was weak and was ca. −97 (g C m−2). This value resulted from −796 (g C m−2) carbon uptake from the atmosphere through photosynthesis (GEE) and 699 (g C m−2) carbon released to the atmosphere through respiration (Reco). Carbon emissions through Reco were considerable and accounted for ca. 88% of GEE, which points out the importance of Reco for managing non-irrigated agroecosystems. Data from the soil chamber indicated that ca. 302 g C m−2 was released by the vineyard through soil respiration (Rsoil) over a growing season, which was constantly lower than Reco and accounted for ca. 44 ± 18% of Reco. This finding implies that the vineyard soil was not a main source of carbon emissions. Rsoil was mainly driven by temperature (exponentially ca. 69–85%). Meanwhile, vapour pressure deficit (VPD) and temperature appeared to be the most important limiting factors for GEE, NEE, and Reco, particularly when they exceeded a certain threshold (e.g., temperature > 17 °C, and VPD > 10 hPa). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study investigates the functionalecological status of typical light clay soils in vineyards in the southern region of Crimea, using both traditional (including fallow soils) and organic land-use systems. This analysis was carried out by examining agrochemical indicators, microbial respiratory activity, microbial biomass, and the ecological status of the microbial community. In organic vineyard soils, the mean substrate-induced respiration, microbial biomass carbon and the ratio of microbial biomass to organic carbon were found to be 2.8, 4.0, and 4.1 times higher, respectively, compared to conventional farm soils. On the contrary, the microbial metabolic coefficient was 1.4 times lower, signifying more favorable conditions for the functioning of the soil microbiota. The increased mobile sulfur content in organic vineyard soils (18.3 mg kg−1 vs. 8.0 mg kg−1 in traditional farms) and inadequate mobile phosphorus supply in some farms present potential risks. The suboptimal functional state of the microbiome in fallow soils previously under traditional plant protection necessitates comprehensive ecotoxicological analyses before development. Assessing the soil functional ecological status through an ecophysiological evaluation of the microbiome is vital for understanding ampelocenosis soils and making informed decisions on vineyard management practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are influenced by physical, chemical, biological, and anthropogenic factors. The objective of the study is to carry out a comprehensive analysis of the emissions of three important agricultural GHGs (CO2, N2O, and CH4) in both rows and alleys of a vineyard (1) and to understand their interactions with the agricultural operations carried out in the experimental plot, namely tillage, inter-row management, application of mineral and organic fertilizers, and irrigation and pruning, as well as the agroclimatic conditions of the plot (2). The study was conducted in a vineyard of Vitis vinifera L. cv. Tempranillo blanco in the DOCa. Rioja grape-growing region, during 2017, 2018, and 2019. Cumulative CO2 emissions were highest in 2018, reaching 934.7 ± 66.5 kg ha−1 day−1 in the alleys and 926.8 ± 76.5 kg ha−1 day−1 in the rows, in agreement with the wetter year and organic matter decomposition at the end of 2017. N2O emissions during the three-year study were mainly affected by mineral fertilizer application, with increases of 41.1 g ha−1 day−1 in the alleys and 49.3 g ha−1 day−1 in the rows during 2018, and 33.1 g ha−1 day−1 in the alleys and 39.6 g ha−1 day−1 in the rows in 2019. Regarding CH4, anaerobic soil conditions in 2018 (the year with the highest rainfall) led to the highest flux of CH4 emissions to the atmosphere, with 215.5 ± 51.0 g ha−1 day−1 in the corridors and 238.4 ± 54.9 g ha−1 day−1 in the rows. This study emphasizes the complex interplay of physical, chemical, biological, and human-related factors affecting GHG emissions in viticultural soils. Understanding these dynamics is essential for developing sustainable vineyard practices that minimize emissions and contribute to climate change mitigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efficient use of scarce water resources for optimum crop yield and quality is a major concern in dry lands. Traditionally, in-situ methods such as measurements of leaf water potential (L) or soil moisture have been used for estimating plant water stress in vineyards. However, these methods are time, labor, and cost-intensive, and limited to point measurements of water stress that do not offer much spatial resolution. In this study, hyperspectral images acquired from a ground-based utility vehicle were analyzed to evaluate the applicability of hyperspectral data in classifying plant water stress measured as L into three classes: no to mild water stress (L > -0.8 MPa), moderate water stress (-0.8 MPa = L = -1.2 MPa) and severe water stress (L < -1.2 MPa). A field trial was carried out in an experimental vineyard in arid southeastern Washington, USA. Grapevines were subjected to either full irrigation (FI) or regulated deficit irrigation (RDI). Several vegetative indices (VIs) derived from hyperspectral reflectance information were assessed to estimate the level of water stress. Linear relationships between VIs and L, and relative variable importance based on Gini impurity in different test models were evaluated to select optimal VIs for vine water stress classification. Green Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (GNDVI), Photochemical Reflectance Index (PRI), and Anthocyanin Index (ANT) showed consistently good trends in the data obtained over two growing seasons and were selected as the optimal VIs. In addition, air relative humidity, evapotranspiration, minimum soil temperature, and solar radiation demonstrated high significance in model development and were included in the final optimized random forest classifier (RFC) and artificial neural network (ANN) models. The RFC model had an accuracy of 73% while the ANN model had an accuracy of 70% in classifying plant water condition into three classes. Both models demonstrated good classification abilities and can be applied to analyze vine water stress and developing decision support tools for precision irrigation in vineyards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grape berry moth is a major pest of vineyards across eastern North America. Increasing infestations in Michigan commercial vineyards under active pest management have raised concerns about insecticide resistance in this species. We tested the susceptibility of male moths of this pest from 5 vineyards in southwestern Michigan over 2 years using a range of concentrations, followed by probit analysis of the resulting mortality data. In 2021 and 2022, topical applications of phosmet and zeta‐cypermethrin were applied to moths collected from each vineyard, and the LC50, LC90 and LC99 values were calculated for each population. The LC50 values were similar among sites, whereas the LC99 values for phosmet were highly variable across years, with sensitivity 2.78 times higher in 2022 than 2021 at Farm 2 and 61.66‐fold higher in 2021 at Farm 3. Sensitivity to zeta‐cypermethrin was generally similar between years at the LC50 level, but it was variable at the LC99, with two sites showing lower sensitivity in 2022 compared to 2021 and three farms with an increased sensitivity in 2022. The response to carbaryl was similar for Farm 3 across both years. However, in 2022 the LC50, LC90 and LC99 values in Farm 3 were 2.34, 6.33 and 14.29‐fold, respectively, higher compared to those in Farm 5. In conclusion, our results show that sensitivity to insecticides in grape berry moth populations in southwest Michigan vineyards is highly variable between different farms and across years. These results highlight the need for continued monitoring of sensitivity to insecticides in this species, and development and implementation of alternative control strategies in vineyards to maintain pest susceptibility to insecticides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the potential use of Lolium perenne L. as a cover crop to improve vineyard soils with varying levels of copper (Cu). Cu-based fungicides are commonly used to control fungal diseases in vineyards, but their accumulation in soils poses environmental risks. This study aims to address this issue by evaluating the influence of soil properties on Cu availability and L. perenne growth. A total of 42 vineyard soils from different Designations of Origin (D.O.s) in Galicia were sampled and their physicochemical properties were analyzed. The results showed most soils exceeded recommended Cu limits due to fungicide applications. Pot experiments were conducted to assess L. perenne growth and Cu accumulation. L. perenne biomass did not vary significantly with total soil Cu content, indicating that other factors such as organic matter and cation exchange capacity were more important for plant growth. While L. perenne showed Cu tolerance, its aerial Cu accumulation was inversely correlated with available Cu. This study provides insight into the potential of L. perenne as a cover crop for sustainable vineyard management and soil improvement and emphasizes the importance of considering Cu accumulation from fungicide applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Registration of point cloud data containing both depth and color information is critical for a variety of applications, including in‐field robotic plant manipulation, crop growth modeling, and autonomous navigation. However, current state‐of‐the‐art registration methods often fail in challenging agricultural field conditions due to factors such as occlusions, plant density, and variable illumination. To address these issues, we propose the NDT‐6D registration method, which is a color‐based variation of the Normal Distribution Transform (NDT) registration approach for point clouds. Our method computes correspondences between pointclouds using both geometric and color information and minimizes the distance between these correspondences using only the three‐dimensional (3D) geometric dimensions. We evaluate the method using the GRAPES3D data set collected with a commercial‐grade RGB‐D sensor mounted on a mobile platform in a vineyard. Results show that registration methods that only rely on depth information fail to provide quality registration for the tested data set. The proposed color‐based variation outperforms state‐of‐the‐art methods with a root mean square error (RMSE) of 1.1–1.6 cm for NDT‐6D compared with 1.1–2.3 cm for other color‐information‐based methods and 1.2–13.7 cm for noncolor‐information‐based methods. The proposed method is shown to be robust against noises using the TUM RGBD data set by artificially adding noise present in an outdoor scenario. The relative pose error (RPE) increased ~ $\unicode{x0007E}$14% for our method compared to an increase of ~ $\unicode{x0007E}$75% for the best‐performing registration method. The obtained average accuracy suggests that the NDT‐6D registration methods can be used for in‐field precision agriculture applications, for example, crop detection, size‐based maturity estimation, and growth modeling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vineyard microclimate is a main determining factor for grape yield and quality. In the Eastern Foothills of the Helan Mountains in the Ningxia region, China, grape is a critical economic crop for wine making. The microclimate of vineyards in 2019 and 2020 was analyzed on the basis of observations from eight vineyards microclimate stations and a national reference station. The vineyard microclimate was compared with the larger-scale local weather conditions, and the vineyard microclimate was compared within and among different climatic zones. In addition, the climate was evaluated at the four study wine grape areas. The results showed that: (1) In the same wine-grape-growing area where the climate was similar, vineyard microclimate was affected by elevation, topography, and soil texture. (2) Excepting average wind velocity, there were no statistically significant (p < 0.05) differences in minimum and maximum air temperatures or relative humidity between the study field microclimate observation stations and the local national reference station. (3) Among the four climate-zone-based wine-grape-growing areas, vineyard microclimate was related to topography, geographical location, and soil type. In particular, the Yinchuan and Qingtongxia areas had an abundant heat resource, and the Hongsipu area had sufficient precipitation and high photosynthetically active radiation (PAR). By contrast, the Shizuishan area had a relatively low-to-moderate amount of heat, precipitation, and radiation resources for grape. (4) According to the climate assessment of agricultural products—wine grape (QX/T 557—2020), the climate was superior in 2019 than in 2020 for wine grapes. In particular, the climate for grape was better in the Yinchuan area than in other study areas. The results of this study are evidence-based and could be used to assist the local wine grape community in making decisions about cultivars, management practices, area expansions, marketing strategies, etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vineyards are agroecosystems of great importance in the Niagara Region, Ontario (Canada). Due to its microclimate, this region is projected to be impacted by climate change with temperature increases, changes in precipitation patterns in all seasons, and greater frequency of extreme weather events. The aim of this review paper is to summarize which seasonal changes are expected to occur in the Niagara Region and assess how such changes are likely to affect the main components of the vineyard ecosystem (i.e., soil, vines, invertebrates, and pathogens). It is expected that by 2080 the region will experience an increase in temperature in all four seasons; an increase in precipitation during the fall, winter, and spring; and a decrease in precipitation during summer months. Impacts of the projected changes will likely lead to vine water stress, yield loss, increases in incidents of diseases, increases in the spread of new pests, and changes in grape quality ultimately resulting in lower wine quality and/or production. Current management practices will need to be better understood and adaptive strategies introduced to enhance grape growers' ability to minimize these impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article aims to present the rarely examined process of rural gentrification in Poland via the example of the vineyard sector, which is a new and dynamically growing segment in the local agriculture. This paper uses quantitative data collected from public statistics, a spatial analysis conducted by GIS, and an authorial survey conducted among vineyard owners. The research findings have revealed that ‘vineyard gentrification’ does not match the classic rent gap theory; furthermore, being a non-socially severe preliminary rural gentrification performed mostly by high-class representatives, it differs significantly from the traditional pattern in Polish farming.