Physiological Fingerprint in Viticulture

The final project report was approved in 2011.

Essential issues of the research project are followed up by the BOKU work group Sustainability in Viticulture and Pomology [headed by Dr. K. Schoedl] in collaboration with existing project partners.

Project Goals

The aim of this project is to arm the Austrian wine industry with tools to measure grape indicators which impact on wine quality and a knowledge of vineyard management and viticultural practices to meeting these quality specifications.

The development and testing of adequate techniques and indicators will lead to the physiological fingerprint, which can act as a basic requirement for vineyard and plant improvement and optimal fruit quality.

Parameters routinely measured in grape samples are total soluble solids, acidity and colour parameters which alone are insufficient as quality indicators. Additional grape compositional measures, beneficial for specifying fruit and plant quality should additionally include key enzymes for secondary compounds and further not yet know metabolites. These data has to be calibrated and standardised according to the relevant environmental and viticultural conditions by individually functional parameters (e.g. water potential, photosynthesis efficiency). Our research aims to improve the efficiency of production, vineyard sustainability and fruit quality through interdisciplinary approaches.