Innovative vine training system as a strategy for adaptation to climate change on Verdicchio

Abstract

Grape quality is endangered by thermal increase caused by climate change. Hence, the necessity to find adaptation solutions moved research activities in the last few years towards experimenting innovative management techniques. In this trial an innovative training system, called High Cane, was compared with the traditional Guyot. High Cane trained vines showed lower photosynthetically active solar radiation values at the fruiting zone, a higher number of shoots per vine and total yield. At harvest, High Cane proved to have some effects in slowing down ripening, i.e. showing lower sugar content, higher titratable acidity and lower pH. The innovative training system is a candidate to be a valid strategy for the adaptation to the effects of climate change.