Cold Hardiness Dynamics and Spring Phenology: Climate-Driven Changes and New Molecular Insights Into Grapevine Adaptive Potential.

Valeria De Rosa,Giannina Vizzotto,Rachele Falchi

doi:10.3389/fpls.2021.644528

Abstract

Climate change has become a topic of increasing significance in viticulture, severely challenged by this issue. Average global temperatures are increasing, but frost events, with a large variability depending on geographical locations, have been predicted to be a potential risk for grapevine cultivation. Grape cold hardiness encompasses both midwinter and spring frost hardiness, whereas the avoidance of spring frost damage due to late budbreak is crucial in cold resilience. Cold hardiness kinetics and budbreak phenology are closely related and affected by bud’s dormancy state. On the other hand, budbreak progress is also affected by temperatures during both winter and spring. Genetic control of bud phenology in grapevine is still largely undiscovered, but several studies have recently aimed at identifying the molecular drivers of cold hardiness loss and the mechanisms that control deacclimation and budbreak. A review of these related traits and their variability in different genotypes is proposed, possibly contributing to develop the sustainability of grapevine production as climate-related challenges rise.

Highlights

Climate change is a proven reality whose consequences on human activities and natural systems have reached an undeniable magnitude all around the world (IPCC, 2014)
We aim to provide an update on current status of research regarding the effects of climate change on grapevine phenology, with a focus on cold hardiness dynamics, budbreak, and the key molecular players involved in these processes
ICS2 takes part in the biosynthesis pathway of salicylic acid (SA), NPR1 is a master regulator of SA-mediated defense signaling, and WRKY70 participates in both positive and negative regulation of SA signaling. These results indicate that cold accumulation could stimulate the synthesis of SA in grapevine buds and introduce the possibility of a role of SA-mediated defense signaling in bud dormancy release (Orrantia-Araujo et al, 2020)

Summary

Introduction

Climate change is a proven reality whose consequences on human activities and natural systems have reached an undeniable magnitude all around the world (IPCC, 2014). Rainfall changes are likely to differ depending on the region, whereas radiation and extreme weather events are expected to increase (IPCC, 2019). Agriculture and viticulture, in particular, greatly depend on thermal regimen, soil composition, and water availability, in terms of fruit yield and metabolite composition (van Leeuwen and Darriet, 2016). Grapevine holds great economic value as it can be used fresh (table grape) or dry (raisin) and for winemaking (Delrot et al, 2020). Climate variations in wine-producing regions induce the so-called “vintage effect,” the year-to-year variations in yield, quality, and typicity (van Leeuwen and Darriet, 2016).

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Conclusion