GLOBAL CHANGE INFLUENCE ON VINE PHYSIOLOGY AND WINEQUALITY IN PRIORAT AND MONTSANT (NE SPAIN)

Savé, R.

; Nadal, M.

; Pla, E.

; Lopez-Bustins, J. A.

and de Herralde, F

1.-IRTA, Ecofisiologia / Horticultura Ambiental; Torre Marimon, Ctra. C-59 km, 12.1, 08140, Caldes deMontbui, Barcelona, Spain, (robert.save@irta.cat; felicidad.deherralde@irta.cat)2.-Grup de Recerca Viti-vinicultura. Facultat d’Enologia, Dept. Bioquímica i Biotecnologia, URV /Marcel·lí Domingo s/n. Campus Sant Pere Sescelades. 43007 Tarragona, Spain. (montserrat.nadal@urv.cat)3.-Centre de Recerca Ecològica i Aplicacions Forestals (CREAF). Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona E-08193Bellaterra, Catalonia, Spain, (eduard.pla@uab.cat)4.-Group of Climatology, University of Barcelona, Montalegre 6, 08001 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.,(jlopezbustins@ub.edu)

ABSTRACT

In the last decades, viticulture in the Mediterranean has been improved by agronomic methodsbased on ecophysiological and genetic knowledge of the cultivated species. TheMediterranean ecosystem is characterized by a double stress. Climatic phenomena such asvariation of some atmospheric circulation patterns are affecting weather conditions at regionallevel. Some models are generating scenarios of climate change that show how this region willbe affected by an increase of the duration (up to 12 months) and the frequency (3 to 8 times)of dry periods. Consequently, plant growth, yield and quality will be affected.It’s known that global change and the associated climate change, together with an annualincrease in the variability of the viticulture sector, due to economical conditions, will increasethe vulnerability in this sector. World-wide, viticulturists have found the optimal grapematurity correlated with the sugar content and have usually been using the ratio sugars/acidsas an indication of the ripeness degree for determining when the grapes are ready to beharvested. Nowadays, to improve the quality of red wines, it is crucial to get informationabout the concentration and quality of the phenolic compounds of the skins and seeds of berries, since they are affected by drought.The objective of present work is to study the effects of climate on alcohol degree of winesfrom vineyards placed in an area of Mediterranean basin, potentially affected by globalchange. Thus, we studied the evolution of weather along the last 25 years (1984-2008)together with the changes in alcoholic degree of red varieties and agronomical practices arestudied. Results show as alcoholic degree increase is only partially explained by temperatureand rainfall changes. The surface atmospheric circulation in August would determine partiallythe final alcoholic degree. Other factors due to global change could have more influence onthis variation.

KEYWORDS:

grapevine, climate, vulnerability, production

INTRODUCTION

Agriculture in the Mediterranean is developed in a great number of crops, which have alimited productivity due to environmental conditions, but actually this agriculture has beenimproved by means of agronomic methods and systems based on ecophysiological andgenetic knowledge of the cultivated species. Agriculture is the main business of the land use

around the world, generating significant economic, social and cultural development, whileoffering a wide range of services. It is important that agriculture, despite its specialization,remains very sensitive to climate variability, which is the main source of global yearlyvariability in agricultural production, although increasingly speculative phenomena additivesto produce this response (Aggarwal 2003, 2008; Rosenzwieg and Tubiello 1997). Agriculture,viticulture in this paper, can be defined as the use of primary production in our benefit. Thenumber of varieties and rootstocks used are incredibly high due to the wide geographic rangein which they have been selected (Cabello et al 2003) and the important differences inproductivity, in qualitative and quantitative values (Savé, 2009).The potential climate change due to global change, may increase the temperature locally orgenerally (IPCC, 2007; Sheffield and Wood 2008), these small temperature changes can havegreat influence at the level of atmospheric carbon balance (Valentini et al 2000). At regionallevel, not all the world’s areas will be affected to the same environmental conditions change,and consequently, the more exposed will be potentially more vulnerable to climate changeand consequently to direct losses of agricultural productivity (lower production) or indirect(increased costs). Global warming will not be the same around the world (IPCC 2007). Itseems to be especially important in the Mediterranean. Furthermore, this area is the only onein the world where most models agree in predicting less precipitation in all seasons(Christensen et al., 2007). In our case, Catalonia and by extension the Mediterraneanecosystem is characterized by a double stress (Terradas and Save 1992) and climaticphenomena such as variation of the atmospheric circulation patterns are affecting weatherconditions at regional level. In summer, low water availability in the soil along with highvapor pressure deficit at atmospheric level promotes inhibitions in plant growth and variousnegative effects on their development (Money and Di Castri 1973, Save 1999). Some modelsare generating scenarios of climate change that are showing as the Mediterranean region willbe affected by average duration of dry periods (4 - 6 months) and the length between periods(more 12 months), being these episodes from 3 to 8 times more frequent than at present(Sheffield and Wood 2008). This is promoting the main important stress, drought, that in ourconditions could be developed in the same space and time with other abiotic (flooding,salinity, high temperatures, low cooling and freezing, high radiation, ozone, mineraldeficiencies, etc.) or biotic (insects, fungi, bacteria, viruses, elicitors, competition betweenspecies…) stresses (Levitt 1980), which may promote synergistic effects on vegetation incrops.It is known that changing global climate, together with an annual increase in the variability of the agricultural sector due to economical conditions, will increase the difficulties and risks inthis sector. In viticulture the factors that may act more directly on productivity are several.The increase in temperature could promote increases in the potential evapotranspiration(ET

), soil respiration, the amount of organic matter, which in turn reduces the ability of soilto act as a storage place for water (Schultz 2000). The increase in CO

that you increaseproductivity and efficiency in the use of water, but in the end the plants develop a regulationof photosynthesis and productivity returns to the original values or less (Drake et al 1997).The increase in UV radiation promotes important morphological, physiological andbiochemical to try to avoid negative impacts on vegetation. Despite the negative effects ongrowth, this can increase stress and some antioxidant flavonoid biosynthesis (Jensen et al1998). The drought promotes reduction in growth, but in the Mediterranean area in general itappears in combination with other stress factors, and therefore the effects can be modified byinteractions (Shaver et al 2000). Other stress factors, in the broad sense, are the occurrence of pests, diseases and weeds, which can be mere anecdotes but happen to have significance incrops, due to global change (Lipa 1997, 1999). However, environmental stress factors are a

major cause of lost productivity and reduced current crop of 3 to 7 times that of potentialproductivity. The abiotic stress and competition with weeds represent 90% of this reduction,diseases and insects only about 5%. Essentially all crops are seasonally or annually bydrought, cold or flooding (Faust 1986). Agriculture is the socio-economic sector that uses andmanages, approximately 80% of water resources (Savé et al 2009).World-wide, viticulturists have been finding the optimal grape maturity correlated with thesugar content. Winemakers have been using the ratio between sugars and acids as anindication of the ripeness degree for determining when the grapes are ready to be harvested(González-San José et al 1991, Ribéreau-Gayon et al 2000, Hunter et al 2004, Nadal et al2004). The sugar content of the grapes at harvest has been taken as economic indicator forgrape growers. Both, sugar content on grapes and alcohol degree on wines have beenconsidered as quality parameters for many years (Bisson 2001, Kennedy 2002). Actually, it iscrucial to get information about the concentration and quality of the phenolic compounds of the skins and seeds of berries. In the last two decades, winemakers began measuring theconcentration of phenols in order to improve the knowledge of the phenolic maturity and inconsequence, to harvest at optimal stage of ripeness.Berry development consists of two successive sigmoid growth periods separated by a lagphase. During the first growth period, several solutes accumulate in the berry, all of whichreach an apparent maximum around veraison. The most prevalent among these are tartaric andmalic acid. Tannins including the monomeric catechins also accumulate during the firstperiod of growth. The second growth period is distinguish by the tremendous increase incompounds (the major ones being glucose and fructose) that occurs as a result of a totalbiochemical shift into fruit ripening mode. Beyond sugar accumulation, the majordeterminants of a wine’s quality are the secondary metabolites. In red grape varieties,anthocyanin production (restricted to skin tissue in most cultivars) is probably the mostobvious compound of importance. In addition, many other important aroma and flavourcompounds are produced late in fruit ripening.There are many factors –including genetics, environmental and vineyard management- thataffect synthesis, accumulation and concentration of different compounds in berries. Light,temperature and water affect physiological processes such a photosynthesis, respiration,transpiration and source: sink relations.In the last years, influenced by the scores of premium wines, costumers have preferred redwines characterized with high color, good tannin structure and complexity. Actuality, hardlyany winemaker is delaying the data of harvest in order to get the best level of phenolicmaturity. They usually extend the maturity over one or two weeks, even when the level of sugars already attained the 14 degrees of probable alcohol (Nadal et al 2008).The objective of present work is try to study the effects of climate on alcohol degree of winesfrom vineyards placed in an area of Mediterranean basin potentially affected by globalchange. In this way as partial objectives will be studied the evolution of weather conditionsalong the last 25 years (1984-2008) together with the changes in alcoholic degree of redvarieties and agronomical practices develop in different moments of this period of time.

MATERIAL, DATA AND METHODSThe study area

The study was focused on the Siurana river basin (Catalonia, NE Spain) which comprises twonested wine regions, Priorat and Montsant. The wines produced in these regions are