Modern viticulture in southern Europe: Vulnerabilities and strategies for adaptation to water scarcity

Water is now considered the most important but vulnerable resource in the Mediterranean region. Nev ertheless, irrigation expanded fast in the region (e.g. South Portugal and Spain) to mitigate environmental stress and to guarantee stable grape yield and quality. Sustainable wine production depends on sustain able water use in the wine’s supply chain, from the vine to the bottle. Better understanding of grapevine stress physiology (e.g. water relations, temperature regulation, water use efficiency), more robust crop monitoring/phenotyping and implementation of best water management practices will help to mitigate climate effects and will enable significant water savings in the vineyard and winery. In this paper, we focused on the major vulnerabilities and opportunities of South European Mediterranean viticulture (e.g. in Portugal and Spain) and present a multi-level strategy (from plant to the consumer) to overcome region’s weaknesses and support strategies for adaptation to water scarcity, promote sustainable water use and minimize the environmental impact of the sector.

Modern viticulture in southern Europe: vulnerabilities and strategies for adaptation to water scarcity

Water is now considered the most important but vulnerable resource in the Mediterranean region. Nevertheless, irrigation expanded fast in the region (e.g. South Portugal and Spain) to mitigate environmental stress and to guarantee stable grape yield and quality. Sustainable wine production depends on sustainable water use in the wine’s supply chain, from the vine to the bottle. Better understanding of grapevine stress physiology (e.g. water relations, temperature regulation, water use efficiency), more robust crop monitoring/phenotyping and implementation of best water management practices will help to mitigate climate effects and will enable significant water savings in the vineyard and winery. In this paper, we focused on the major vulnerabilities and opportunities of South European Mediterranean viticulture (e.g. in Portugal and Spain) and present a multi-level strategy (from plant to the consumer) to overcome region’s weaknesses and support strategies for adaptation to water scarcity, promote sustainable water use and minimize the environmental impact of the sector.

Fungal endophytic communities associated to the phyllosphere of grapevine cultivars under different types of management

Fungal endophytes present in different asymptomatic grapevine plants (Vitis vinifera L.) located in different vineyards within Alentejo, a highly important viticulture region in Portugal, were identified in this study. Sampled grapevine plants included the three most representative cultivars in the region, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Aragonez, growing under two different modes of management, conventional and biological. Sixteen fungal taxa were identified through sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer region. Total number of endophytic fungi isolated showed significant differences both in management mode and in cultivars, with higher numbers in grapevines under conventional mode and from Syrah cultivar. The composition of fungal endophytic communities did not show significant differences among cultivars, but differences were observed between fungal communities isolated from grapevines under biological or conventional modes. The most fungal taxa isolated from grapevines cultivated under biological mode were Alternaria alternata, Cladosporium sp., and Nigrospora oryzae, and under conventional mode Botrytis cinerea, Epicoccum nigrum, and Epicoccum sp. These differences suggest that the different products used in grapevine production have impacts in fungal endophytic composition. Further investigation of the identified fungi with respect to their antagonistic characteristics and potential use in plant protection to ensure food safety is now in course.

Processos de recrutamento, seleção e admissão, em massa, de trabalhadores agrícolas numa média empresa

O presente relatório surge do seguimento do estágio curricular em contexto do trabalho final do Mestrado em Gestão – Recursos Humanos, realizado no período de seis meses na organização Vale da Rosa, especificamente no departamento de Recursos Humanos. Este trabalho tem como principal objetivo identificar e descrever pormenorizadamente todo o procedimento efetuado, em contexto profissional, os processos de recrutamento, seleção e admissão de trabalhadores agrícolas. Esta experiência serviu para o desenvolvimento e aquisição de novas competências, onde a mestranda conjugou a base teórica com a prática. As atividades desenvolvidas durante o estágio curricular, como foi referido anteriormente, foram o recrutamento, a seleção e a admissão de trabalhadores agrícolas na entidade acolhedora. Estes processos foram feitos em grande escala devido ao número de indivíduos que são colocados durante o período da colheita, que é aproximadamente cinco meses, para abranger os 250 hectares de vinha. São processamentos adaptados para a área em questão, área de viticultura, o que implica serem utilizados métodos pouco idênticos aos que são referidos pelos diferentes autores; ABSTRACT: Recruitment Processes, Selection and Admission, Mass, Farm Workers in Medium Enterprises This report arises from the follow-up of the curricular internship in the context of the final work of the Masters in Management - Human Resources, carried out during the six-month period in the Vale da Rosa organization, specifically in the Human Resources department. The main objective of this work is to identify and describe in detail the entire procedure carried out, in a professional context, the recruitment, selection and admission processes of agricultural workers. This experience served to develop and acquire new skills, where the master student combined the theoretical base with the practice. The activities developed during the curricular internship, as mentioned previously, were the recruitment, selection and admission of agricultural workers to the welcoming entity. These processes were carried out on a large scale due to the number of individuals being placed during the harvest period, which is approximately five months, to cover the 250 hectares of vineyard. They are adapted processes for the area in question, area of viticulture, which implies using methods not very similar to those that are mentioned by different authors.