Phenological and aerobiological study of vineyards in the Montilla-Moriles PDO area, Cordoba, southern Spain

Abstract

Phenological and aerobiological research into major crops is of great value in adapting traditional processes to the new conditions prompted by global climate change. Data on flowering phenology and airborne pollen have also proved useful for harvest forecasting purposes. The current paper reports on an agrometeorological study carried out in the Montilla-Moriles Protected Designation of Origin area (Córdoba, southern Spain) in 2015 and 2016. The study focused on four grape cultivars produced at seven local vineyards (Pedro Ximénez, the most widely grown in the area; Verdejo; Muscat blanc à petits grains; and Chardonnay, which has been recently introduced). Phenological observations were performed on a weekly basis using the Biologische Bundesanstalt, Bundessortenamt und Chemische Industrie scale adapted for grapevine. Airborne pollen concentrations were monitored using one Hirst-type volumetric sampler and seven passive samplers. Airborne pollen was mainly detected in vineyards during inflorescence emergence and flowering. Year-on-year differences in climatic conditions led to differences in airborne pollen levels. The main variables affecting pollen concentrations were dew point and temperature. The life-cycles recorded here were shorter than in temperate climates but longer than in tropical climates. In terms of flowering period, the cultivars studied here were classed as ‘early cultivars’. Data obtained using local passive samplers located directly in the vineyard confirmed that the airborne pollen concentrations recorded by the volumetric sampler were representative of the study area.

Integrating Phenological, Aerobiological and Weather Data to Study the Local and Regional Flowering Dynamics of Four Grapevine Cultivars

“…Therefore, the pre-peak correlation shows the importance of temperature and rainfall on pollen release into the atmosphere. These results are in accordance with the data pointed out by several authors from the same study area [4], the Trento area [42], and the Montilla-Moriles DO area (southern Spain) [39]. The differences between the correlation level between both collectors during the two periods considered in our research, the MPS and the pre-peak could be influenced by the number of studied samples.…”

“…These data are in agreement with the results noted for different Turkish cultivars, with flowering duration periods of 12 and 15 days under optimal temperature conditions [38]. Shorter flowering periods between 8 and 14 days have been observed for the "Muscat Blanc", "Verdejo", "Chardonnay" and "Pedro Ximenez" grape cultivars [39]. In Chilean vineyards, flowering periods of around 21-22 days have been registered for the "Tannat" and "Cabernet Sauvignon" cultivars [40] and 20-27 days for the "Isabel" and "Rubea" cultivars [41].…”

“…Nevertheless, the Vitis vinifera L. SPIn registered by the Hirst trap during the study period was higher than that reported in Braga [44] or in previous studies in Cenlle [4]. The quantity of pollen in the present study was lower than that the observed in the Montilla-Moriles DO area (southern Spain) [39,45] or in San Michele all'Adige of Trento (Italy) [42]. The pollen peak registered during the studied years ranged from 28 pollen/m 3 on May 29 in 2015 to 54 pollen/m 3 on June 1 in 2019.…”

“…The pollen peak registered during the studied years ranged from 28 pollen/m 3 on May 29 in 2015 to 54 pollen/m 3 on June 1 in 2019. These values were lower than that observed for the Montilla-Moriles DO area, with 94 pollen/m 3 on May 12th 2015 [39] or that reported for the Trento area, ranging from 41-197 pollen/m 3 [42].…”

“…Following the model of [35], the isentropic back-trajectories of air masses arriving in Cenlle at 12:00 UTC were calculated during the peak pollen concentration episodes. The backward trajectories were calculated for different heights from the earth surface, namely, 300, 500 and 750m [20,[36][37][38][39][40].…”