Vineyard Environment Research Articles

Integrated approach to environmental pollution investigation – Spatial and temporal patterns of potentially toxic elements and magnetic particles in vineyard through the entire grapevine season

An integrated approach to the investigation of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) was applied to the soil and grapevine leaf samples collected from vineyard environment through the grapevine season. To investigate mobile and bioavailable concentrations of PTEs, six single extraction procedures and pseudo-total digestion were applied to the samples. The element concentrations in the samples were measured using inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). To assess atmospheric particle deposition, saturation isothermal remanent magnetisation (SIRM) was applied to the leaf samples. The obtained PTE concentrations in samples were used for calculating various ecological implications in the vineyard environment. The notable environmental pollution implications were estimated for As, B, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni and Sr. The environmental risk (RI) of the elements soluble under low-acid conditions influenced soil bioavailability risk. The most bioavailable elements from soil to leaves were Mn, Ni and Sr, followed by Cr and Cu. Cadmium and Co were strongly-bonded in the soil and were not bioavailable. The most suitable extractants for assessing bioavailability in the soil-leaf system were chelating agent Na2EDTA, and weak salt solutions CaCl2 and NH4NO3. The biological accumulation concentrations (BACs) of B, Ba, Cd, Co, Ni and Zn were decreasing in the leaves through the grapevine growing phases, that is contributed to the decreasing agrochemical application through the season. The BACs of Co, Cr, Sb and Pb, in July (veraison), were higher than in other phases, which indicate anthropogenic activities. According to correlations between biogeochemical index (BGI) and BAC, Cu and Na were mostly bioaccumulated from soil to leaves due to agrochemical applications, while bioaccumulation of B, Cd, Sb and Sr could be influenced by the other anthropogenic sources. Significant correlations between PTE concentrations and SIRM imply that leaves indicate Co, Cr and Ni air pollution in the vineyard environment.

Metagenomic Approaches to Investigate the Contribution of the Vineyard Environment to the Quality of Wine Fermentation: Potentials and Difficulties.

The winemaking is a complex process that begins in the vineyard and ends at consumption moment. Recent reports have shown the relevance of microbial populations in the definition of the regional organoleptic and sensory characteristics of a wine. Metagenomic approaches, allowing the exhaustive identification of microorganisms present in complex samples, have recently played a fundamental role in the dissection of the contribution of the vineyard environment to wine fermentation. Systematic approaches have explored the impact of agronomical techniques, vineyard topologies, and climatic changes on bacterial and fungal populations found in the vineyard and in fermentations, also trying to predict or extrapolate the effects on the sensorial characteristics of the resulting wine. This review is aimed at highlighting the major technical and experimental challenges in dissecting the contribution of the vineyard and native environments microbiota to the wine fermentation process, and how metagenomic approaches can help in understanding microbial fluxes and selections across the environments and specimens related to wine fermentation.

Vineyard Autonomous Navigation in the Echord++ GRAPE Experiment

Field robotics is a fast developing research field, in particular precision agriculture is gaining in popularity due to the high return in productivity and the reduced pollution impact on the environment. The GRAPE project is an ECHORD++ robotic experiment aimed at the use of a mobile robot for automatic pheromone dispenser distribution in vineyards, to reduce pesticide use thanks to pheromone mate disruption. This work describes the autonomous navigation system of such robot. For the specific scenario a real state of the art does not exists, so we adapted techniques that have been designed for different problems, in particular classical methods for navigation and mapping in indoor environments. The vineyard environment is challenging because of many variability factors such as weather, soil and vegetation. These factors hinder the indoor methods introducing noise in the robot perceptions. To solve this problem, we propose a specific navigation system that takes advantage of multiple sensors: wheel encoders, inertial measurement unit (IMU), and GPS to filter the environment noise and accurately estimate the robot odometry. In addition, the system exploits a LIDAR sensor to localize the robot, through the Adaptive Monte Carlo Localization (AMCL) algorithm, and to map the vineyard. We tested the system in simulation with very good results which have been confirmed during field tests in a real vineyard.

Collision‐Free Path‐Planning for Six‐DOF Serial Harvesting Robot Based on Energy Optimal and Artificial Potential Field

Collision‐free autonomous path planning under a dynamic and uncertainty vineyard environment is the most important issue which needs to be resolved firstly in the process of improving robotic harvesting manipulator intelligence. We present and apply energy optimal and artificial potential field to develop a path planning method for six degree of freedom (DOF) serial harvesting robot under dynamic uncertain environment. Firstly, the kinematical model of Six‐DOF serial manipulator was constructed by using the Denavit‐Hartenberg (D‐H) method. The model of obstacles was defined by axis‐aligned bounding box, and then the configuration space of harvesting robot was described by combining the obstacles and arm space of robot. Secondly, the harvesting sequence in path planning was computed by energy optimal method, and the anticollision path points were automatically generated based on the artificial potential field and sampling searching method. Finally, to verify and test the proposed path planning algorithm, a virtual test system based on virtual reality was developed. After obtaining the space coordinates of grape picking point and anticollision bounding volume, the path points were drew out by the proposed method. 10 times picking tests for grape anticollision path planning were implemented on the developed simulation system, and the success rate was up to 90%. The results showed that the proposed path planning method can be used to the harvesting robot.

Grape microbiome as a reliable and persistent signature of field origin and environmental conditions in Cannonau wine production.

Grape berries harbor a wide range of microbes originating from the vineyard environment, many of which are recognized for their role in the must fermentation process shaping wine quality. To better clarify the contribution of the microbiome of grape fruits during wine fermentation, we used high-throughput sequencing to identify bacterial and fungi communities associated with berries and musts of Cannonau. This is the most important cultivar-wine of Sardinia (Italy) where most vineyards are cultivated without phytochemical treatments. Results suggested that microbiomes of berries collected at four different localities share a core composition characterized by Enterobacteriales, Pseudomonadales, Bacillales, and Rhodospirillales. However, any area seems to enrich berries microbiome with peculiar microbial traits. For example, berries belonging to the biodynamic vineyards of Mamoiada were rich in Bacillales typical of manure (i.e. Lysinibacillus, Bacillus, and Sporosarcina), whereas in the Santadi locality, berries showed soil bacteria such as Pasteurellales and Bacteroidales as well as Rhodospirillales and Lactobacillales which are commonly involved in wine fermentation. In the case of fungi, the most abundant taxa were Dothioraceae, Pleosporaceae, and Saccharomycodaceae, and although the proportion of these families varied among localities, they occurred ubiquitously in all vineyards. During vinification processes performed at the same wine cellar under controlled conditions and without using any yeast starter, more than 50% of bacteria groups of berries reached musts, and each locality had its own private bacteria signature, even if Saccharomyces cerevisiae represented the most abundant fungal species. This work suggests that natural berries microbiome could be influenced by pedoclimatic and anthropologic conditions (e.g., farming management), and the fruits’ microorganisms persist during the fermentation process. For these reasons, a reliable wine genotyping should include the entire holobiont (plant and all its symbionts), and bioprospecting activities on grape microbiota could lead to improved viticulture yields and wine quality.

A systemic approach to identify relevant information provided by UAV in precision viticulture

By providing high spatial resolution images of vine fields througout the vine growing season, UAVs could provide useful information, different than those normally considered in the literature. This study aimed at identifying i) relevant information that can be observed from UAV images by two kind of stakeholders : growers and advisers (G&A) ii) the most suitable periods for this observation iii) and the added value this information can have for both G&A daily tasks. This approach has been conducted on an 11.3 ha commercial vineyard representative of the south of France vineyards. UAV-based visible images (2.5 cm resolution) have been acquired in commercial conditions every two weeks from budburst to harvest. Images have been presented to two groups of G&A six times during the growing season. Every expert gathering was conducted with i) an individual period where images were presented to each expert ii) a collective period where G&As were invited to share information. Application of this methodology demonstrated that much information about the vines, the soil and the vineyard environment can be extracted from UAV-based visible images without any image processing. Results showed that this information have added value all along the growing cycle of the vine, particularly for advisers.

Towards a Reliable Robot for Steep Slope Vineyards Monitoring

Develop ground robots for crop monitoring and harvesting in steep slope vineyards is a complex challenge. Because of two main reasons: harsh condition of the terrain and unstable localization accuracy got from Global Positioning Systems (GPS). This paper presents a hybrid SLAM (VineSLAM) considering low cost landmarks to increase the robot localization accuracy, robustness and redundancy on these steep slope vineyards. Also, we present a cost-effective robot to carry-out crop monitoring tasks in steep slope vineyard environment. Test results got in a simulated and in a real test case supports the proposed approach and robot.

Groundwater quality in rural watersheds with environmental land use conflicts

The quality of groundwater was evaluated in a rural watershed of northern Portugal (River Sordo basin) where environmental land use conflicts have developed in the course of a progressive invasion of forest and pasture lands by agriculture, especially by vineyards. The selected groundwater quality parameters were the concentrations of sodium, calcium, bicarbonate, chloride and nitrates, derived from natural and anthropogenic sources. The environmental land use conflicts were revealed by the coupling of land use and land capability raster maps. The land capability evaluation allocated 70.3% of the basin to the practicing of agriculture, 20% to livestock pasturing and 9.7% to a mosaic of land uses including agriculture, livestock pasturing and forestry. The assessment of land use conflicts allocated 93.9% of the basin to no conflict areas. Minor conflict areas (4.1%) were found concentrated in the western region of the watershed. They correspond to an invasion of farmlands towards sectors of the catchment capable for the practicing of livestock pasturing. Moderate (1.6%) and major (0.4%) conflict areas were found limited to the eastern region, matching steep hillsides capable for the practicing of livestock pasturing or forestry but presently occupied with vineyards. The spatial distributions of ion concentrations were generally justified by common geochemical processes. The dominance of high concentration levels in moderate and major conflict areas was justified within the framework of nutrient dynamics in vineyard environment. Nitrate in groundwater was likewise produced via the nitrification of N-fertilizers. Apparently, this process promoted the weathering of plagioclase by the nitric acid reaction, in concurrence with the weathering by the carbonic acid reaction. The impact of nitrification was found more important in moderate and major conflict areas, relative to no conflict areas.

Trace metals in wine and vineyard environment in southern Ukraine

The study was focused on measuring the concentration levels of trace metals in the environment, vines and wine within the wine-growing region of Ukraine and comparing the findings to the data from well known wine-growing areas. Analysis was carried out of Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn in irrigation water, grape juice and wine, Cu, Pb and Zn in soil (pseudo-total and acid-soluble fractions) and Vitis vinifera L. in leaves and grapes. The accumulation levels of Cu and Zn from soil to leaves were significantly higher than from soil to grapes. Pb had lower potential to accumulate in aerial parts than Cu and Zn. Higher contents of Cu and Zn were observed in Muscat white grape juice compared to Chardonnay. The concentration levels of Zn and Cu were higher in wine than in juice. Trace metals were regulated by the soil composition and biological specificity of cultivars. The data obtained from the study area did not exceed the international limits.

HARNESSING BIODIVERSITY TO IMPROVE VINEYARD SUSTAINABILITY

Modern agricultural practices are becoming increasingly intensive and the expansion of farmland to help feed the burgeoning world population results in the destruction of natural ecosystems. Undisturbed natural areas contain significant amounts of biodiversity; this provides valuable ecosystem functions that are often overlooked in terms of the economic contributions they make to and our everyday lives. Viticulture, a large and expanding part of the New Zealand horticultural sector is used here as an example of how nature and profitable can co-exist. In this work, biodiversity is being enhanced under and between vine rows and outside the vine blocks, including biodiversity trails. Vineyards are monocultures, severely reducing ecosystem services with a consequent increasing need for substitution agriculture i.e., oil-based inputs such as pesticides, fungicides and insecticides, incurring high variable costs. The Greening Waipara project and its associated protocols were developed partly in response to market pressures from an increasingly environmentally discriminating northern hemisphere wine market. Agriculture and conservation are often viewed as being incompatible, but by introducing functional agricultural biodiversity (FAB) into the vineyard environment, ecosystem services are substituted for unsustainable oil-based inputs. Additional benefits for winegrowers include eco-tourism and marketing opportunities through product differentiation.

Harnessing Biodiversity to Improve Vineyard Sustainability

Modern agricultural practices are becoming increasingly intensive and the expansion of farmland to help feed the burgeoning world population results in the destruction of natural ecosystems. Undisturbed natural areas contain significant amounts of biodiversity; this provides valuable ecosystem functions that are often overlooked in terms of the economic contributions they make to and our everyday lives. Viticulture, a large and expanding part of the New Zealand horticultural sector is used here as an example of how nature and profitable can co-exist. In this work, biodiversity is being enhanced under and between vine rows and outside the vine blocks, including biodiversity trails. Vineyards are monocultures, severely reducing ecosystem services with a consequent increasing need for substitution agriculture i.e., oil-based inputs such as pesticides, fungicides and insecticides, incurring high variable costs. The Greening Waipara project and its associated protocols were developed partly in response to market pressures from an increasingly environmentally discriminating northern hemisphere wine market. Agriculture and conservation are often viewed as being incompatible, but by introducing functional agricultural biodiversity (FAB) into the vineyard environment, ecosystem services are substituted for unsustainable oil-based inputs. Additional benefits for winegrowers include eco-tourism and marketing opportunities through product differentiation.

Indigenous yeast communities in the environment of “Rovello bianco” grape variety and their use in commercial white wine fermentation

The indigenous yeast communities associated with several vineyard habitats were analysed. Wild yeasts were isolated, differentiated at strain level and identified. A phylogenetic tree based on partial 26S rRNA genes was constructed. The strains were characterized and the indigenous Saccharomyces cerevisiae GR1 was then used to carry out a vinification process and compared with a commercial yeast. Wines obtained were subjected to chemical and sensory analysis. The comparison between the two products highlighted differences due to the fermenting strains employed. The vineyard environment was found to strongly influence the composition of yeast communities, thus, confirming the theory of ‘terroir’ on the expression of wines. Moreover, vineyard inhabiting birds were in part responsible for the dissemination of fermentative yeasts during their feeding activities.

Isolation and identification of yeasts associated with vineyard and winery by RFLP analysis of ribosomal genes and mitochondrial DNA

Yeast colonies isolated from vineyard and cellar substrates were analysed in the present study. Yeast species assessment was carried out by amplification and digestion of a region of the ribosomal RNA gene repeat unit. Saccharomyces strains were also characterised using mitochondrial DNA restriction analysis. Oxidative basidiomycetous yeasts without enological potential were predominant in the vineyard environment. Yeasts associated with grape skin depend on grape variety, vintage and degree of grape maturation. These species from grape surface constituted the predominant microbiota in must and they developed during the first stages of the process. Yeasts colonies were also isolated and identified from the walls of a fermentation vat some days before the harvest. Contray to what was expected, Saccharomyces cerevisiae was not the major species isolated as Candida sorbosa represented 76% of the species isolated. Saccharomyces strains isolated from the fermentation vat had been previously isolated in wine fermentations in this cellar. Therefore, these strains should be considered as constant residents of this winery.

Spatial terroir characterization and grape composition in the Southern Côtes-du-Rhône vineyard (Nyons-Valreas Basin)

<p style="text-align: justify;">In order for the characterization of terroir in vineyard situations to benefit both viticultural and wine making practices, it is necessary to consider the spatial aspect of the vineyard environment. An exploratory approach at characterising terroir in the Nyons-Valreas Basin (figure 1) considers both the spatial analysis and frequency analysis of the harvest. Data gathered from stereoscopic aerial photographic examination, satellite image processing, land surveys, and the Digital Elevation Model are combined and structured within a Geographic Information System along with the existing soil and geological data (figure 2). The result is a comprehensive soils model applicable to a relatively large area (11,340 ha). The Nyons-Valreas Basin is a neogene and quaternary sedimentary basin, and the soils found there are described by 21 soil landscape units which integrate 15 variables (table I). The area examined is considered to be representative of the surrounding regional diversity. The variables used in characterising terroir include soil types, geomorphology, lithology, stratigraphy, vegetation, land form, and land use. The various viticultural terroirs are regarded as parts of agricultural land consistent with both soil landscapes and harvest/wine responses. Multivariate clustering of the soil landscape units indicates that there exists 7 distinct viticultural terroirs, essentially on the basis of geomorphology and soils (figures 3 and 4, table II). Four distinct terroirs were compared (figures 5 and 6) using data gathered from 14 sites over the course of 15 vintages (1982-1996). Grenache is the grape variety planted at each site, and the variables measured at harvest (pH, sugar content, titratable acidity, the weight of 200 berries, and the sugar/acidity ratio) appear to significantly discriminate the sites examined according to the terroir modeling performed (tables III, IV and V).</p>

The relationship between vineyard soil lead concentration and the concentration of lead in grape berries

The concentration of lead in Australian grape berries was compared with that of the soil surrounding the vines during three seasons. These data were collected in three surveys, the first comprising 13 vineyards of six grape varieties, the second, 12 vineyards planted with cv. Shiraz, and the third, two vineyards each planted with the same 10 varieties. There were significant differences between the concentration of total-lead and EDTA-extractable lead in both the 0–10 cm and 10–30 cm soil layers. On average, the uppermost layer had a greater concentration of lead (whether total or EDTA-extractable), but this difference failed to reach significance. Washed and unwashed berries differed significantly in the concentration of lead in their pulp, but not in their juice. None of the soil and associated berry measurements were significantly correlated. Pulp with skins, but without seeds, contained c. 14 times more lead than juice in washed berries and 22 times more lead in unwashed berries. There was significant variation in the concentration of lead in both soil and berries between and within locations, but not between varieties in the same vineyard. It is concluded that the contribution of lead from the soil or from the aerial vineyard environment to that of grape berries and especially to that of grape juice is low. Thus grapes are a minor contributor to the concentration of lead in Australian wines, which is low by international standards, according to published data, and lower than the Australian permissible concentration of lead in drinking water.

Isolation and Characterization ofMetarhizium anisopliaeandBeauveria bassianafrom Subantarctic Macquarie Island

Entomopathogenic Ascomycetes: Hypocreales fungi occur worldwide in the soil; however, the abundance and distribution of these fungi in a vineyard environment is unknown. A survey of Australian vineyards was carried out in order to isolate and identify entomopathogenic fungi. A total of 240 soil samples were taken from eight vineyards in two states (New South Wales and Victoria). Insect baiting (using Tenebrio molitor) and soil dilution methods were used to isolate Beauveria spp. and Metarhizium spp. from all soil samples. Of the 240 soil samples, 60% contained either Beauveria spp. (26%) or Metarhizium spp. (33%). Species of Beauveria and Metarhizium were identified by sequencing the B locus nuclear intergenic region (Bloc) and elongation factor-1 alpha (EFT1) regions, respectively. Three Beauveria species (B. bassiana, B. australis and B. pseudobassiana) and six Metarhizium species (M. guizhouense, M. robertsii, M. brunneum, M. flavoviride var. pemphigi, M. pingshaense and M. majus) were identified. A new sister clade made up of six isolates was identified within B. australis. Two potentially new phylogenetic species (six isolates each) were found within the B. bassiana clade. This study revealed a diverse community of entomopathogenic fungi in sampled Australian vineyard soils.