APPLICATION OF CROP MODELLING TO PORTUGUESE VITICULTURE: IMPLEMENTATION AND ADDED-VALUES FOR STRATEGIC PLANNING

Grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) is a very important crop in Portugal, where the viticultural sector plays a central role in the national economy. The present study provides a review of most relevant research on grapevine modelling, giving particular emphasis to its past and future applicability to Portuguese conditions. A brief overview of the national sector, as well as of the prevailing physical and biological environments and viticultural practices is provided. Further, the terroir concept is discussed in view of the main controlling factors of grapevine development. Several crop models, either statistical or dynamic, that have reliably simulated grapevine/vineyard parameters, such as phenology, yield and quality, are referred. Statistical models are based on statistically significant relationships between a number of predictors and a given grapevine parameter. Dynamic crop models simulate plant growth and development and holistically integrate crop phenotype, soil profiles, weather and climate data and management practices in their simulations. Dynamic crop models are then becoming important decision support systems in viticulture. Additionally, they allow testing the effects of soils, management decisions and weather on crops. However, only a few dynamic models can properly simulate grapevine performance. Several studies also apply crop models under future conditions to assess the detrimental climate change impacts on grapevines. These crop models can be either applied to real-time monitoring and short-range predictions or to develop long-term climate change projections for the Portuguese viticulture. These studies will represent important added-values for the competitiveness and future sustainability of the winemaking sector in Portugal.