Effects of timing of water stress on yield and berry size

Juice Index: an integrated Sauvignon blanc grape and wine metabolomics database shows mainly seasonal differences

INTRODUCTION

Although Sauvignon Blanc (SB) grapes are cultivated widely throughout New Zealand, wines from the Marlborough region are most famous for their typical varietal combination of tropical and vegetal aromas. These wines differ in composition from season to season as well as among locations within the region, which makes the continual production of good quality wines challenging. Here, we developed a unique database of New Zealand SB grape juices and wines to develop tools to help winemakers to make blending decisions and assist in the development of new wine styles.

METHODS

About 400 juices were collected from different regions in New Zealand over three harvest seasons (2011-2013), which were then fermented under controlled conditions using a commercial yeast strain Saccharomyces cerevisiae EC1118. Comprehensive metabolite profiling of these juices and wines by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was combined with their detailed oenological parameters and associated meteorological data.

RESULTS

These combined metabolomics data clearly demonstrate that seasonal variation is more prominent than regional difference in both SB grape juices and wines, despite almost universal use of vineyard irrigation to mitigate seasonal rainfall and evapotranspiration differences, Additionally, we identified a group of juice metabolites that play central roles behind these variations, which may represent chemical signatures for juice and wine quality assessment.

CONCLUSION

This database is the first of its kind in the world to be available for the wider scientific community and offers potential as a predictive tool for wine quality and innovation when combined with mathematical modelling.

Biotechnological and Digital Revolution for Climate-Smart Plant Breeding

Climate change, associated with global warming, extreme weather events, and increasing incidence of weeds, pests and pathogens, is strongly influencing major cropping systems. In this challenging scenario, miscellaneous strategies are needed to expedite the rate of genetic gains with the purpose of developing novel varieties. Large plant breeding populations, efficient high-throughput technologies, big data management tools, and downstream biotechnology and molecular techniques are the pillars on which next generation breeding is based. In this review, we describe the toolbox the breeder has to face the challenges imposed by climate change, remark on the key role bioinformatics plays in the analysis and interpretation of big “omics” data, and acknowledge all the benefits that have been introduced into breeding strategies with the biotechnological and digital revolution.