South Africa Wine Research Projects

2. VITICULTURE RESEARCH PROJECT IN PROGRESS

ASSESSING THE DROUGHT TOLERANCE OF SELECTED GRAPEVINE SCION CULTIVARS UNDER DRYLAND CONDITIONS IN THE SWARTLAND REGION

P04000207 Dr Carolyn Howell, ARC Infruitec-Nietvoorbij, Stellenbosch Project is co-funded by the ARC Infruitec-Nietvoorbij Start date: 2018

AIM AND INDUSTRY RELEVANCE: The objective of the project is to determine the drought tolerance of selected alternative scion cultivars in comparison to reference cultivars. According to climate change forecasts, rainfall in the Western Cape could become lower over time. Drought tolerance refers to the degree to which a plant is adapted to arid or drought conditions. Drought tolerant scion cultivars could ensure more sustainable viticulture in the dryland and irrigated regions in the Western Cape, or if climate change results in reduced rainfall. A number of drought tolerant scion cultivars, not currently extensively planted in South Africa but that could hold promise for the wine industry, have been identified. However, there is presently no scientifically based information regarding the growth, yield and quality aspects for the recommended alternative scion cultivars under South African conditions. This project aims to generate the knowledge to make recommendations on scientifically verified results. A new vineyard will be established, with 17 different scion cultivars. It must be noted that the project aims to assess grapevine responses in an almost worst case scenario, i.e. under dryland conditions in a sandy soil in the Swartland region. This will enable extrapolation of the findings to other soil-climate scenarios.

SOUTH AFRICA WINE RESEARCH 2024

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