Evaluation of the intra-varietal diversity of ‘Tempranillo Tinto’ clones prospected in the demarcated winemaking region of Rioja (Spain)

Le résumé fourni par la source

The sustainability of traditional viticulture systems is compromised by different threats, like those derived from climate change. The use of alternative grapevine varieties is suggested as a possible solution, but different regulations limit this practice in many well-known winemaking regions. In these cases, the exploitation of clonal diversity emerges as a useful alternative of adaptation. Here, 30 ‘Tempranillo Tinto’ clones selected from a grapevine collection of 729 clones initially prospected in the demarcated winemaking region of Rioja (Spain) have been studied. The characterization of 27 traits related to phenology, agronomic performance, and oenological potential during three consecutive seasons revealed a high intra-varietal phenotypic spectrum, of interest to adapt to different growing conditions and needs. Interestingly, this diversity was markedly higher to that observed in a series of commercial clones used as controls. Further analyses revealed their clustering into four groups of clones with significant phenotypic differences. We identified a group of clones with late ripening and long veraison-to-harvest periods, of special interest to respond to projected warming conditions. In general, we proved that old vineyards in traditional winemaking regions are reservoirs of clonal diversity for ancient grapevine varieties like ‘Tempranillo Tinto’, which store useful traits to address current and future viticulture challenges.

Ce résumé expose les affirmations des auteurs. BNTIC ne l’interprète pas comme une validation indépendante des résultats.