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Analysis of climate change indices in relation to wine production: a case study in the Douro region (Portugal)

Publication . Blanco-Ward, Daniel; Monteiro, Alexandra; Lopes, Myriam; Borrego, Carlos S.; Silveira, Carlos; Viceto, Carolina; Rocha, Alfredo; Ribeiro, A.C.; Andrade, João Verdial; Feliciano, Manuel; Castro, João Paulo; Barreales, David; Carlos, Cristina; Peixoto, Carlos; Miranda, Ana Isabel

Climate change is of major relevance to wine production as most of the wine-growing regions of the world, in particular the Douro region, are located within relatively narrow latitudinal bands with average growing season temperatures limited to 13–21◦C. This study focuses on the incidence of climate variables and indices that are relevant both for climate change detection and for grape production with particular emphasis on extreme events (e.g. cold waves, storms, heat waves). Dynamical downscaling ofMPI-ESM-LR global data forced with RCP8.5 climatic scenario is performed with the Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) model to a regional scale including the Douro valley of Portugal for recent-past (1986–2005) and future periods (2046– 2065; 2081–2100). The number, duration and intensity of events are superimposed over critical phenological phases of the vine (dormancy, bud burst, flowering, v´eraison, and maturity) in order to assess their positive or negative implications on wine production in the region. An assessment on the statistical significance of climatic indices, their differences between the recent-past and the future scenarios and the potential impact on wine production is performed. Preliminary results indicate increased climatic stress on the Douro region wine production and increased vulnerability of its vine varieties. These results will provide evidence for future strategies aimed to preserve the high-quality wines in the region and their typicality in a sustainable way.

2017Conference object

Open access

Grapevine bioclimatic indices in relation to climate change: a case study in the Portuguese Douro Demarcated Region

Publication . Blanco-Ward, Daniel; Monteiro, Alexandra; Lopes, Myriam; Borrego, Carlos S.; Silveira, Carlos; Miranda, Ana Isabel; Viceto, Carolina; Rocha, Alfredo; Ribeiro, A.C.; Andrade, João Verdial; Feliciano, Manuel; Castro, João Paulo; Barreales, David; Carlos, Cristina; Peixoto, Carlos

Climate change is of major relevance to wine production as most of the wine-growing regions of the world, in particular the Douro region, are located within relatively narrow latitudinal bands with average growing season temperatures limited to 13-21ºC. This study focuses on the temporal variability of three grapevine bioclimatic indices, which are commonly used as part of the Geoviticulture Multicriteria Climatic Classification System (MCC) to classify the climate of wine producing regions worldwide. Dynamical downscaling of MPI-ESM-LR global data forced with RCP8.5 climatic scenario is performed with the Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) model to a regional scale including the Douro valley of Portugal for recent-past (1986-2005) and future periods (2046-2065; 2081-2100). Results indicate significant shifts towards warmer and dryer conditions during the growing season and higher night temperatures during the grape ripening period. An assessment on the statistical significance of the differences between the recent-past and the future scenarios and the potential impact on wine production in the study area is performed. These results will provide evidence for future strategies aimed to preserve the high-quality wines in the region and their typicality in a sustainable way.

2017Conference object

Open access

Validation of meteorological and ground-level ozone WRF-CHIMERE simulations in a mountainous grapevine growing area for phytotoxic risk assessment

Publication . Blanco-Ward, Daniel; Rocha, A.C.; Viceto, C.; Ribeiro, A.C.; Feliciano, Manuel; Paoletti, Elena; Miranda, Ana Isabel

Ozone is the most damaging phytotoxic air pollutant to crop yield quantity and quality. This study presents the validation of a simulation with the WRF-CHIMERE modelling system in order to assess the risk of phytotoxicity by tropospheric ozone for an important and characteristic Mediterranean crop, i.e. the grapevine. The study region was the Douro wine region in Portugal, which is characterized by a rugged relief and a Mediterranean climate. The simulation covered a reference grapevine growing season in the Northern Hemisphere (from April to September 2017), during which a particular measuring campaign was also carried out. The validation of the meteorological simulations on a daily and hourly time resolution was performed based on data from three weather stations, namely on temperature, global solar radiation, relative humidity, wind speed and direction values. The ozone phytotoxicity was assessed with data from two measuring stations. A specific grapevine growth parameter based on monitored phenological observations was introduced for ozone stomatal uptake assessment. Concerning meteorology, validation statistics were acceptable and within the range of what has been found in other regional climate modelling simulations. Ground-level ozone-based values were calculated for a better assessment of the phytotoxic risk, in particular cumulative standards for vegetation protection. Stomatal flux estimates were within the range of those measured for the local cultivars in the field campaign when there was not severe water stress limitation. Both field and statistically adjusted model values indicate that considerable areas in the Demarcated Douro Region of Portugal can exceed the critical exposure values for vegetation according to current European legislation standards. Moreover, measured and simulated results indicate an ozone impact on grapevine yield and quality in the target region because the exposure- and flux-based indices exceed the criteria based on current open-top-chamber experimental knowledge.

2021Journal article

Open access

Ozone effects on Douro vineyards under climate change

Publication . Ascenso, Ana; Gama, Carla; Silveira, Carlos; Viceto, Carolina; Rocha, Alfredo; Lopes, Myriam; Miranda, Ana Isabel

Tropospheric ozone (O3) levels in southern Europe have an increasing tendency, in close relation with the higher incidence of hot summers and heatwaves. Given that O3 is one of the most damaging pollutants for vegetation, known to affect productivity and quality of crops, it is necessary to develop more rigorous and consistent methods of risk assessment that consider climate change conditions. Studying the O3 deposition over the Douro Demarcated Region (DDR), which is one of the most productive wine areas in Portugal, and assessing its potential effects under a climate change scenario, was the purpose of this study. To that end, the chemical transport model CHIMERE, with a spatial resolution of 1 km2, fed by meteorological data from the WRF model, was applied for a recent past climate (2003 to 2005) and future mid-term (2049 and 2064) and long-term (2096 and 2097) scenarios. Simulations for future climate were performed considering: (i) only the climate change effect, and (ii) the effect of climate change together with future air pollutant emissions. The assessment of the potential damage in terms of wine productivity and quality (sugar content) was performed through analysis of O3 deposition and the application of concentration–response functions, based on AOT40 values. Modeling results show that a reduction in emission of O3 precursors can successfully decrease AOT40 levels in the DDR, but it is not enough to accomplish the European Commission target value for the protection of vegetation. If the emissions remain constant, the exposure–response functions indicate that, in the long-term, AOT40 levels could worsen wine productivity and quality.

2021Journal article

Open access

Effects of irrigation and collection period on grapevine leaf (Vitis vinifera L. var. Touriga Nacional): Evaluation of the phytochemical composition and antioxidant properties

Publication . Barreales, David; Malheiro, Ricardo; Pereira, J.A.; Andrade, João Verdial; Bento, Albino; Casquero, Pedro Antonio; Ribeiro, A.C.

The cultivation of grapevines (Vitis vinifera L.) has extended worldwide, with great economic importance. From this crop, we can obtain grapes for fresh consumption, raisins, juices, wine, and other derived products. The cultivation of grapevines also generates some byproducts, such as seeds, skins, wood and leaves. The leaves can be removed from the plant, as is common agricultural practice, to improve the production and quality of the grapes at certain periods in the crop cycle. In the present work, the phytochemical composition (total phenols content, hydroxycinnamic acids derivatives and flavonols) and antioxidant potential (reducing power, ABTS and DPPH radical scavenging capacity) of grapevine leaves from cv. Touriga Nacional were evaluated. The studied cultivar was under three severities of regulated deficit irrigation (RDI60, RDI40, and RDI20; providing 60, 40 and 20% of reference evapotranspiration, respectively) and non-irrigation (NI; exclusively rain-fed), in a vineyard located in the Demarcated Douro Region (Portugal). The leaves were collected at three different phenological stages: veraison, maturation, and grape harvest. For the first time, the interactions between different irrigation regimes and the collection period were evaluated on grapevine leaves. The results obtained for the phytochemical composition revealed that increasing irrigation reduced total phenols content, hydroxycinnamic acids derivatives, and flavonols in all of the phenological stages studied. For instance, compared to that of the control treatment (NI), the total phenols content reduced 19% in RDI20 (from 189 mg GAE g−1 to 153 mg GAE g−1), 28% in RDI40 (136 mg GAE g−1), and 33% in RDI60 (127 mg GAE g−1). The antioxidant activity suffered a reduction when the irrigation amount was increased for all assays. Additionally, the antioxidant activity suffered a reduction over time, presenting higher values in veraison. For harvest sampling, the loss of antioxidant activity was more notable, with EC50 values varying between 0.092 mg mL−1 (NI) and 0.187 mg mL−1 (RDI60). Altogether, the results suggest that grapevine leaves are a potential source of natural compounds with valuable antioxidant properties that could be explored by the pharmaceutical, chemical and food industries.

2019Journal article

Open access