Adaptive response of new grape varieties to abiotic stress conditions in the Northwestern Ciscaucasia Region

Climate warming increases abiotic stress, which necessitates the identification of adaptive genotypes for high-yielding grapevine production. The research objects were wine grape varieties Kurchansky, Vladimir, and Dmitry, characterized by high adaptability to water deficit and elevated temperature conditions. Field experiments were conducted under extreme weather conditions during 2023–2024 across the main agroecological viticulture zones of Krasnodar Krai: Central Zone, Black Sea Zone, and Foothill Zone. During the study period, maximum air temperatures reached 40 °C. The sum of active temperatures exceeded long-term averages by 10–13%, while precipitation during the active growing season was 36–56% below normal. Grapevine adaptability was evaluated using leaf physiological parameters, including water content (WC), relative water content (RWC), and electrolyte leakage (EL). Yield performance was assessed by berry weight. Sugar concentration was determined by the areometric method, and titratable acidity was measured by direct titration with 0.1 N NaOH. Statistical analysis was conducted using STATISTICA 12.0. Based on the set of physiological indicators, the Kurchansky variety demonstrated the highest adaptability to the environmental conditions of the Central Zone. The Vladimir variety showed adaptability to the Central Zone primarily in terms of WC and EL, whereas the Dmitry variety exhibited adaptability in the Central Zone based on WC and RWC, and in the Foothill Zone based on RWC and EL. Despite its superior yield in the Central Zone, the Kurchansky variety exhibited lower fruit quality compared to other terroirs. This finding supports the hypothesis of an inverse relationship between leaf physiological parameters and crop quality in this variety. The genetic trait of the Vladimir variety, characterized by high sugar concentration, is more pronounced in the Central Zone terroir. Yields are higher in the Black Sea Zone terroir due to larger cluster size. The Dmitry variety has higher yields and lower quality indicators in the Central Zone, which is associated with the optimal physiological condition of the plants. In the Foothill Zone, the variety exhibits low yields but a high concentration of sugars and titratable acids suitable for the production of red dry wines, which is due to the agroecological characteristics of the terroir.

1. Dryagin V. B., Nikolenko A. A. The current state of winemaking in the Russian Federation. Magarach, Viticulture and Winemaking. 2017;1:28-30 (in Russ.).

2. Zalibekov Z. G., Mamaev S. A., Magomedov R. A., Musaev M. A., Musalaeva P. D. About the soil-geographical phenomenon of the european part of the south of Russia, Aridnye ekosistemy. 2023;29(2):36-44. DOI: 10.24412/1993-3916-20232-36-44. (in Russ.).

3. Nazarenko O. V. Variability of some meteorological parameters in the arid steppe, Bulletin of higher educational institutions, North caucasus region. Natural sciences. 2019;4(204):84-90. (in Russ.).

4. Ivanchenko V. I., Zameta O. G., Potanin D. V., Zotikov A. Yu. The influence of seasonal thermoperiodism on the emergence of the rootstock grape varieties from the state of organic dormancy, Transactions of taurida agricultural science. 2018;15(178):16-25 (in Russ.).

5. Gouot J. C., Smith J. P., Holzapfel B. P., Walker A. R., Barril C. Grape berry flavonoids: A review of their biochemical responses to high and extreme high temperatures, Journal of experimental botany. 2019;70(2):397-423. DOI: 10.1093/jxb/ery392.

6. Petrov V. S., Aleynikova G. Yu., Novikova L. Yu., Naumova L. G. The influence of climate changes the grape phenology, Plodovodstvo i vinogradarstvo YUga Rossii. 2019;57:29-50. DOI: 10.30679/2219-5335-2019-3-57-29-50. (in Russ.).

7. Alikadic A., Perlot I., Eccel E., Dolci C., Zarbo C., Caffarra A., De Filippi R., Furlanello C. The impact of climate change on grapevine phenology and the influence of altitude: A regional study, Agricultural and forest meteorology. 2019;271:73-82. DOI: 10.1016/j.agrformet.2019.02.030.

8. Biasi R., Brunori E., Ferrara C., Salvati L. Assessing impacts of climate change on phenology and quality traits of Vitis vinifera L.: the contribution of local knowledge, Plants. 2019;8(5):121. DOI: 10.3390/plants8050121.

9. Manatskov A. G. Agrobiological study of grape varieties of interspecific origin of ARRIV&W – branch of the FSBSI FRARC breeding in the Lower Don region, Plodovodstvo i vinogradarstvo YUga Rossii. 2025;93(3):47-55 (in Russ.).

10. Mayborodin S. V., Nesinov V. V. The impact of climate change on the viticulture industry, Achievements and prospects of scientific and innovative development of the agro-industrial complex. 2022:53-58. (in Russ.).

11. Oblivantsov V. V. The impact of agro-climatic resources on the formation of the quality of table grapes of the Crimean Peninsula, Innovacionnye tekhnologii pishchevyh proizvodstv. 2021;33:116-118. (in Russ.).

12. Leolini L., Romboli Y., Costafreda-Aumedes S., Bindi M., Granchi L. Modelling sugar and acid content in Sangiovese grapes under future climates: An Italian case study, Climate Research. 2019;78(3):211-224.

13. Navrátilová M., Beranova M., Severova L., Sredl K., Svoboda R., Abrham J. The impact of climate change on the sugar content of grapes and the sustainability of their production in the Czech Republic, Sustainability. 2020;13(1):222. DOI: 10.3390/su13010222.

14. Yan Y., Song C., Falginella L., Castellarin S. D. Day temperature has a stronger effect than night temperature on anthocyanin and flavonol accumulation in «Merlot» (Vitis vinifera L.) grapes during ripening, Frontiers in Plant Science. 2020;11:1095. DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2020.01095.

15. Ramos M. C., de Toda F. M. Variability in the potential effects of climate change on phenology and on grape composition of Tempranillo in three zones of the Rioja DOCa (Spain), European Journal of Agronomy. 2020;115:126014. DOI: 10.1016/j.eja.2020.126014.

16. Filella I., Llusia J., Pinol J., Penuelas J. Leaf gas exchange and fluorescence of Phillyrea latifolia, Pistacia lentiscus and Quercus ilex saplings in severe drought and high temperature conditions, Environmental and Experimental Botany. 1998;39(3):213220. DOI: 10.1016/S0098-8472(97)00045-2.

17. Viljevac Vuletić M., Mihaljević I., Tomaš V., Horvat D., Zdunić Z., Vuković D. Physiological Response to ShortTerm Heat Stress in the Leaves of Traditional and Modern Plum (Prunus domestica L.) Cultivars, Horticulturae. 2022;8(1):72. DOI: 10.3390/horticulturae8010072.

18. Dionisio-Sese M. L., Tobita S. Antioxidant responses of rice seedlings to salinity stress, Plant Science. 1998;135(1):1-9. DOI: 10.1016/S0168-9452(98)00025-9.

19. Nenko N. I., Ilyina I. A., Petrov V. S., Kiseleva G. K., Sundyreva M. A., Skhalyaho T. V. Conformity to natural laws of grapes varieties adaptation to the abiotic and biotic stress factors of summer period, Plodovodstvo i vinogradarstvo YUga Rossii. 2017;45(3):49-64. (in Russ.).

20. Santos J. A., Fraga H., Malheiro A. K., Moutinho-Pereira J., Dinis L. T., Correia K., Moriondo M., Leolini L., Dibari K., Costafreda-Aumedes S., Kartschall T., Menz C., Molitor D., Junk J., Beyer M., Schultz H. R. A review of the potential oclimate change impacts and adaptation options for European viticulture, Applied sciences. 2020;10(9):3092. DOI: 10.3390/app10093092.

21. Alatzas A., Theocharis S., Miliordos D. E., Leontaridou K., Kanellis A. K., Kotseridis Y., Hatzopoulos P., Koundouras S. The effect of water deficit on two Greek Vitis vinifera L. cultivars: Physiology, grape composition and gene expression during berry development, Plants. 2021;10(9):1947. DOI: 10.3390/plants10091947.

22. Chrysargyris A., Xylia P., Litskas V., Stavrinides M., Heyman L., Demeestere K., Hofte M., Tzortzakis N. Assessing the impact of drought stress and soil cultivation in Chardonnay and Xynisteri grape cultivars, Agronomy. 2020;10(5):670. DOI: 10.3390/agronomy10050670.

23. Rogiers S. Y., Greer D. H., Liu Y., Baby T., Xiao Z. Impact of climate change on grape berry ripening: An assessment of adaptation strategies for the Australian vineyard, Frontiers in Plant Science. 2022;13:1094633. DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.1094633.

24. Van Leeuwen C., Sgubin G., Bois B., Ollat N., Swingedouw., Zito S., Gambetta G.A. Climate change impacts and adaptations of wine production, Nature Reviews Earth & Environment. 2024;5(4):258-275. DOI: 10.1038/s43017-024-00521-5.

25. Stamatidi V. Yu., Ryff I. I. Features of changes in water potentials in the grape cultivars Muscat belyi and Tsitronnyi Magaracha in the conditions of the southern coast of Crimea under various hydrothermal factors, Contemporary Horticulture. 2022;4:1-12 (in Russ.).