Open Access
Cover crops in viticulture. A systematic review (2): Implications on vineyard agronomic performance
(International Viticulture and Enology Society (IVES), 2021) Abad Zamora, Francisco Javier; Hermoso de Mendoza, Irantzu; Marín Ederra, Diana; Orcaray Echeverría, Luis; Santesteban García, Gonzaga; Agronomía, Biotecnología y Alimentación; Agronomia, Bioteknologia eta Elikadura
The present systematic review aims to provide an overview of the impact of cover crops on vegetative growth and the productive parameters of vineyards. A systematic review was made on Scopus-index journals dating from 1999 to 2018. The selection was made at the same time by two different researchers, who selected a total of 272 published papers related to cover crops in vineyards. Each article was categorised according to its theme and a metadata database was created, considering all relevant information from an agronomic point of view for each article. It can be concluded from the review that the use of cover crops can reduce vine vegetative growth, which in turn can help keep the incidence of fungal diseases (like grey mould) at a low level. In general, this practice does not have a clear effect on vineyard yield or grape juice parameters, like total soluble solids (TSS) or titratable acidity (TA). Cover crops can decrease vineyard pests to a certain extent, especially Cicadellidae. Cover crops can sometimes sporadically cause water stress in the vineyard, but only during the summer months. This review allowed us to summarise available information on cover crops and their effects on vineyard agronomic performance in a systematic way. Such information can be used to help select the most suitable cover, based on specific vineyard objectives and growing conditions.
Open Access
Terahertz time domain spectroscopy allows contactless monitoring of grapevine water status
(Frontiers Media, 2015) Santesteban García, Gonzaga; Palacios Horcajada, Inés; Miranda Jiménez, Carlos; Iriarte Galarregui, Juan Carlos; Royo Díaz, José Bernardo; Gonzalo García, Ramón; Producción Agraria; Nekazaritza Ekoizpena; Ingeniería Eléctrica y Electrónica; Ingeniaritza Elektrikoa eta Elektronikoa; Gobierno de Navarra / Nafarroako Gobernua, IIM14244.RI1
Agriculture is the sector with the greatest water consumption, since food production is frequently based on crop irrigation. Proper irrigation management requires reliable information on plant water status, but all the plant-based methods to determine it suffer from several inconveniences, mainly caused by the necessity of destructive sampling or of alteration of the plant organ due to contact installation. The aim of this work is to test if terahertz (THz) time domain reflectance measurements made on the grapevine trunk allows contactless monitoring of plant status. The experiments were performed on a potted 14-years-old plant, using a general purpose THz emitter receiver head. Trunk THz time-domain reflection signal proved to be very sensitive to changes in plant water availability, as its pattern follows the trend of soil water content and trunk growth variations. Therefore, it could be used to contactless monitor plant water status. Apart from that, THz reflection signal was observed to respond to light conditions which, according to a specifically designed girdling experiment, was caused by changes in the phloem. This latter results opens a promising field of research for contactless monitoring of phloem activity.
Open Access
Structural and spatial shifts in the viticulture potential of main european wine regions as an effect of climate change
(MDPI, 2024) Irimia, Liviu Mihai; Patriche, Cristian Valeriu; Petitjean, Théo; Tissot, Cyril; Santesteban García, Gonzaga; Neethling, Etienne; Foss, Chris; Le Roux, Renan; Quénol, Hervé; Agronomía, Biotecnología y Alimentación; Agronomia, Bioteknologia eta Elikadura
Climate change modifies the base climate of the wine regions and, with it, the structure of their traditional types of wine production, imposing measures to adapt, mitigate, or capitalize on the newly emerging conditions. In order to assess the impact of climate change and establish the appropriate adaptation measures for each wine region, regional and local studies are needed, which allow knowledge of their current climate profile. The aim of this research was to identify the changes that appeared as an effect of climate change in the initial climate profile and the initial structure of the traditional types of wine production of Bordeaux (France), Loire Valley (France), Rhine-Main-Nahe (Germany), La Rioja (Spain) and Cotnari (Romania) wine regions, and also in climate suitability for wine production of the Sussex area from the UK. The study uses multi-year averages for the 1951¿1990 and 1991¿2010 time periods of reference bioclimatic indices for viticulture, namely the Average Temperature of the Growing Season (AvGST), the Huglin Index (HI), and the Oenoclimatic Aptitude Index (IAOe). The results of this research reveal significant changes in climate suitability for wine production of the studied wine regions: in the Bordeaux wine region, climate change led to the appearance of conditions for the cultivation of the Mediterranean climate varieties Grenache, Syrah, and Carignan; in the cool climate wine regions Rhine-Main-Nahe and Cotnari, traditional producers of white wines, the climate has also become suitable for the cultivation of Pinot noir and Cabernet franc varieties, and implicitly for the production of red wines; in all studied wine regions, the classes of climate suitability for viticulture shifted higher in altitude, as is the case of the La Rioja region, where, in the recent period, the grapevine can be grown up to 922.9 m asl, higher by 206.2 m compared to the 1951¿1990 time period; in the low area of each wine region, one or even two new climate suitability classes for wine grape growing appeared. The shifts revealed by this research generate solid conclusions regarding the effect of climatic change on the viticultural potential of geographical areas, namely: in the context of climate change, the altitude of the wine region has a major influence on the evolution of the local viticulture potential; a higher topography allows a better adaptation of the wine region to climate change; low-elevation wine regions are more vulnerable to climate changes, especially the further south they are located; as an effect of climate change, conditions appear in the wine regions for the cultivation of new grapevine varieties and the production of new types of wine.
Open Access
Methods to compare the spatial variability of UAV-based spectral and geometric information with ground autocorrelated data: a case of study for precision viticulture
(Elsevier, 2019-05-24) Matese, Alessandro; Di Gennaro, Salvatore Filippo; Santesteban García, Gonzaga; Agronomía, Biotecnología y Alimentación; Agronomia, Bioteknologia eta Elikadura; Gobierno de Navarra / Nafarroako Gobernua
One of the key steps that would lead winegrowers to implement precision viticulture as a management tool would be the clear demonstration of the agronomic and oenological significance of the zones delineated within a vineyard based, totally or partially, on remote-acquired information. To perform this analysis, it is necessary to compare image-derived variables to crop characteristics. Classical ordinary least square (OLS) regression is not well suit for spatially structured data, while Moran’s index (MI) and local indicators of spatial autocorrelation (LISA) take autocorrelation into account. The aim of this work was to evaluate the performance of statistical methods to compare different maps of a vineyard, some including variables derived from UAV acquired imagery, and some from in situ ground characterization. The study was conducted during 2015 and 2016 seasons in an adult 7.5 ha cv. ‘Tempranillo’ vineyard located in Traibuenas, Navarra, Spain. The maps obtained out of UAV-imagery, volume index (VI) and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) were compared to the maps obtained for the agronomic variables measured (yield, berry weight and total soluble solids). The bivariate MI and the bivariate LISA cluster map obtained using Geoda software indicate depict the spatial cluster association between variables in 2015 and 2016 with different types of local spatial autocorrelation. The use of these methods that take into account data spatial structure, to compare ground autocorrelated data and spectral and geometric information derived from UAV-acquired imagery has been proved to be highly necessary and advisable.
Open Access
A water content continuous monitoring of grapevine xylem tissue using a portable low-power cost-effective FMCW radar
(IEEE, 2019) Quemada Mayoral, Carlos; García González, Cebrián; Iriarte Galarregui, Juan Carlos; Marín Ederra, Diana; Gastón Beraza, Diego; Miranda Jiménez, Carlos; Gonzalo García, Ramón; Maestrojuán Biurrun, Itziar; Santesteban García, Gonzaga; Ederra Urzainqui, Íñigo; Agronomia, Bioteknologia eta Elikadura; Ingeniaritza Elektrikoa, Elektronikoaren eta Telekomunikazio Ingeniaritzaren; Institute of Smart Cities - ISC; Agronomía, Biotecnología y Alimentación; Ingeniería Eléctrica, Electrónica y de Comunicación; Gobierno de Navarra / Nafarroako Gobernua, PI025 VITHZ; Gobierno de Navarra / Nafarroako Gobernua, 0011-1365-2016-000084 RAFF
This paper presents the real-time monitoring of a grapevine’s water content that flows up through the xylem tissue by means of a frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) radar. The application of an optimization process, based on the super-resolution multiple signal classification (MUSIC) algorithm, has enabled the reduction of the bandwidth required to discern the xylem water content, and thus the operating frequency, achieving a depth resolution of at least 3 mm. This design advantage has resulted in a significant step forward towards a real life application, allowing the use of fully-integrated off-the-shelf components in order to implement a completely portable low-power cost-effective radar at 23.1 GHz with a 3.4 GHz bandwidth. The sensor performance has been evaluated by means of three different experiments: irrigation cycles, day/night cycles and comparison between irrigation cycles at different temperatures. From the experimental results, it is possible to assert that the contactless sensor presented in this work is very sensitive to changes in the plant’s water content, differentiating between daytime and nighttime. In addition, it has been proved that temperature has a noticeable influence over the evapotranspiration, observing negative drying slopes of 5.62 mV/cycle and 6.28 mV/cycle at 23ºC and 26ºC respectively.
Embargo
Upgrading and validating a soil water balance model to predict stem water potential in vineyards
(Elsevier, 2024-12-15) Mirás-Ávalos, José M.; Escalona, José M.; Pérez-Álvarez, Eva Pilar; Romero Azorín, Pascual; Botia, Pablo; Navarro, Josefa; Torres Molina, Nazareth; Santesteban García, Gonzaga; Uriarte, David; Intrigliolo, Diego S.; Buesa, Ignacio; Agronomía, Biotecnología y Alimentación; Agronomia, Bioteknologia eta Elikadura; Institute for Multidisciplinary Research in Applied Biology - IMAB
Efficient water management is pivotal for viticulture sustainability. Decision support tools can advise on how to optimize irrigation or on the feasibility of growing grapes in rainfed conditions, but reliable algorithms for assessing vine water status are required. In this context, the aim of the current study was to upgrade a soil water balance model specific for vineyards by incorporating meteorological, soil and vine vigor in equations that transform the fraction of transpirable soil water into midday stem water potential (Ψstem). The model's sensitivity to variations in the magnitude of input parameters was analyzed. Furthermore, the model was tested in a broad scope of Spanish vineyards with different grapevine cultivars (both red and white), rootstocks, plant age, soil and climatic conditions, and water regimes, totaling 129 scenarios. The model was only slightly sensitive to variations in the magnitude of most inputs, except for the fraction of transpirable water at which leaf stomatal conductance begin to decline. Moreover, the model satisfactorily reproduced the evolution of Ψstem over the growing season, although it slightly overestimated the measured ¿stem values, as the slopes of the fitted regression lines were lesser than 1 on most occasions, 76 out of 129. Nonetheless, the coefficients of determination for these relationships were greater than 0.9, except for 21 datasets. Mean errors averaged 0.024 ± 0.015 MPa, while root mean square errors averaged 0.27 ± 0.01 MPa. The index of agreement was greater than 0.75 in 51 datasets, with only three datasets showing an index of agreement lower than 0.5. Nevertheless, the deviations between observed and simulated Ψstem values did not alter the classification of the water stress undergone by grapevines. This upgraded model could constitute the core of a decision support system for water management in vineyards, applicable to both rainfed and irrigated conditions.
Open Access
Exploring the potential of hyperspectral imaging to detect Esca disease complex in asymptomatic grapevine leaves
(Elsevier, 2022) Pérez Roncal, Claudia; Arazuri Garín, Silvia; López Molina, Carlos; Jarén Ceballos, Carmen; Santesteban García, Gonzaga; López Maestresalas, Ainara; Ingeniaritza; Estatistika, Informatika eta Matematika; Agronomia, Bioteknologia eta Elikadura; Institute on Innovation and Sustainable Development in Food Chain - ISFOOD; Ingeniería; Estadística, Informática y Matemáticas; Agronomía, Biotecnología y Alimentación; Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa
Precise and reliable identification of specific plant diseases is a challenge within precision agriculture nowadays. This is the case of esca, a complex grapevine trunk disease, that represents a major threat to modern viticulture as it is responsible for large economic losses annually. The lack of effective control strategies and the complexity of esca disease expression make essential the identification of affected plants, before symptoms become evident, for a better management of the vineyard. This study evaluated the suitability of a near-infrared hyperspectral imaging (HSI) system to detect esca disease in asymptomatic grapevine leaves of Tempranillo red-berried cultivar. For this, 72 leaves from an experimental vineyard, naturally infected with esca, were collected and scanned with a lab-scale HSI system in the 900-1700 nm spectral range. Then, effective image processing and multivariate analysis techniques were merged to develop pixel-based classification models for the distinction of healthy, asymptomatic and symptomatic leaves. Automatic and interval partial least squares variable selection methods were tested to identify the most relevant wavelengths for the detection of esca-affected vines using partial least squares discriminant analysis and different pre-processing techniques. Three-class and two-class classifiers were carried out to differentiate healthy, asymptomatic and symptomatic leaf pixels, and healthy from asymptomatic pixels, respectively. Both variable selection methods performed similarly, achieving good classification rates in the range of 82.77-97.17% in validation datasets for either three-class or two-class classifiers. The latter results demonstrated the capability of hyperspectral imaging to distinguish two groups of seemingly identical leaves (healthy and asymptomatic). These findings would ease the annual monitoring of disease incidence in the vineyard and, therefore, better crop management and decision making.
Open Access
Nature-based strategies to regenerate the functioning and biodiversity of vineyards
(Wiley, 2024) Ochoa‐Hueso, Raúl; Cantos‐Villar, Emma; Puertas, Belén; Aguiar del Río, Juan F.; Belda, Ignacio; Delgado-Baquerizo, Manuel; Fernández, Victoria; Gallardo, Antonio; García-Morales, José L.; Garde-Cerdán, Teresa; Santesteban García, Gonzaga; Lazcano, Cristina; Liberal, Isabel M.; Serrano-Grijalva, Lilia; Tortosa, Germán; Casimiro‐Soriguer, Ramón; Agronomía, Biotecnología y Alimentación; Agronomia, Bioteknologia eta Elikadura; Institute for Multidisciplinary Research in Applied Biology - IMAB
Grapevine is one of the most important perennial fruit crops worldwide. Historically, vineyards were compatible with soil conservation practices and multitrophic biodiversity, but vineyards are now generally eroded and biologically impoverished, making them more susceptible to pests and diseases. However, the idiosyncrasy of the wine sector places wine growers in a unique position to lead the adoption of a range of sustainable management strategies and, thus, to pioneer a wider transformation of the agricultural sector. In this article, we provide an overview of nature-based management strategies that may be used for the regeneration of the functioning and biodiversity of vineyards and that may also lead to improved plant nutrition, grape berry quality and the suppression of pathogens and pests. These strategies include the use of microbial and nonmicrobial biostimulants, fertilization with organic amendments as well as foliar fertilization with nature-based products, the use of cover crops and the reintegration of livestock in vineyards, especially sheep. We will also pay special attention to the implementation of circular economy in the vineyard in relation to the previously mentioned management strategies and will also discuss the importance of considering all these aspects from a holistic and integrative perspective, rather than taking them into account as single factors. Assuming the integral role of soils in the functioning of agroecosystems, soils will be considered transversally across all sections. Finally, we will argue that the time is now ripe for innovation from the public and private sectors to contribute to the sustainable management of vineyards while maintaining, or even improving, the profit margin for farmers and winemakers.
Open Access
Assessment of flesh browning diversity in apple germplasm collections phenotyped by image analysis
(ISHS, 2023) Miranda Jiménez, Carlos; Irisarri, Patricia; Arellano Zapatero, Julia; Bielsa González, Francisco Javier; Valencia Leoz, Ana; Urrestarazu Vidart, Jorge; Pina, Ana; Santesteban García, Gonzaga; Castel, L.; Errea, Pilar; Agronomía, Biotecnología y Alimentación; Agronomia, Bioteknologia eta Elikadura; Institute for Multidisciplinary Research in Applied Biology - IMAB
Enzymatic flesh browning (EB) is one of the major problems affecting the quality and limiting the shelf life of minimally processed fruit. Traditionally, EB has been measured objectively using colourimeters. However, colourimeters are not suitable for phenotyping large quantities of fruit samples as they measure just one small area of a sample at a time, which hampers the acquisition of representative measurements and renders them time-consuming and costly. Previous research has shown that image analysis of digital photographs could be a viable alternative to obtain colour information of the entire surface of samples for large scale phenotyping, but to date there are no references for its practical application. The aim of this work was to assess the diversity in EB in a large set of cultivars phenotyped using digital photographs and a high-throughput analytical system based on image analysis developed by our team. A set of 143 cultivars from 104 genotypes, including modern references (16 cultivars) and traditional Spanish cultivars from UPNA (67 cultivars) and CITA (60 cultivars) germplasm collections was analysed in 2020 and 2021. The traditional cultivars were part of the core collection, which optimizes the representativeness of the genetic variation of apples preserved in Spanish collections. EB was evaluated in 10 fruits per cultivar and photographed at regular intervals from just after cutting to one hour later. A wide range of EB intensities was observed, with up to 20-fold differences between cultivars, which could be classified into five levels using two indices. The time at which EB was evaluated (30 or 60 min after slicing) had little influence on the classification. Traditional cultivars with low or very low EB were found to be comparable to those of references with less EB. The results show the potential of traditional germplasm to diversify the varietal offer and introduce new traits in apple breeding.
Open Access
Pollen viability, self-incompatibility, and a very singular S-allele structure between the reasons for the limited potential productivity of traditional Basque cider apple varieties
(Elsevier, 2023) Crespo Martínez, Sara; Oneka Mugica, Oihane; Laquidain Imirizaldu, María Jesús; Urrestarazu Vidart, Jorge; Santesteban García, Gonzaga; Miranda Jiménez, Carlos; Agronomía, Biotecnología y Alimentación; Agronomia, Bioteknologia eta Elikadura; Institute for Multidisciplinary Research in Applied Biology - IMAB; Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa
Cider regions conserve a broad diversity of traditional cultivars for which knowledge has hardly evolved. Key aspects of their reproductive biology are barely known, hindering improvement in orchard management and resulting in highly variable yields. In this study, we characterized key aspects of the reproductive biology of some traditional apple cultivars from the Basque-style cider-producing area in northern Spain (Basque Country and Navarre). We tested for pollen quality, self-compatibility, and cross-compatibility (S-genotyping). The pollen quality was good except for Urtebete, Errezila, Reineta Encarnada, and triploid varieties. Self-pollination results confirm the need for pollinators, as only Moko and Txalaka showed certain self-compatibility. Regarding Sgenotyping, the population proved very singular, with an atypically high frequency of S26, a frequent allele within crabapples, and the appearance of a novel unpublished allele (S60). The knowledge generated for this variety pool will contribute to a better choice of suitable pollinators, preventing the use of popular crabapple varieties that are demonstrated to be partly incompatible with them, and will lead to an increase in potential yields in the region.