The live broadcasts conducted by the agronomist Giovanni Bigot will be on a weekly basis, every Wednesday at 7.30 am, from March to October.
After the interest found in the last edition, the new season will open with the Climate and Vine column , in collaboration with the oenologist Ramon Persello , who analyzes the impact of climate change on viticulture.
Ramon Persello, expert in agrometeorology and climate change, will examine some phenomena starting from the data collected by various research centers and specialized observatories, illustrating some effects of climate changes from the 1950s to today, with a particular focus on the latest three years. We will discuss the rise in average annual temperatures , the influence of permanent North African high pressure, the difficulty of winter cooling of the northern Adriatic Sea and the consequent mitigation of the plains near the coast.
“I am not predicting an imminent catastrophe, but rather trying to understand if these last three years constitute the first steps – explains Ramon Persello -. Starting from June 2021, monthly averages have been constantly 3°C higher in the North, while Puglia, Campania, Calabria, Sicily have seen temperature differences between 1 and 2°C".
Giovanni Bigot will delve into the consequences of climate change on the vineyard ecosystem, such as the increase in virulence of pathogens in the different phenological phases. Downy mildew, like powdery mildew, develops based on thermal and water availability (mm of rainfall, leaf wetness, relative air humidity). It has been observed how the rise in temperatures has multiplied the virulence of the pathogen, especially at times when the conditions at the beginning of the season (April-May) and at the end of the season (September-October) are not optimal, resulting in an increase in the severity of infections.
“Confronting and adapting to the changing climate is possible and necessary – explains the agronomist Giovanni Bigot – If we remain anchored to the usual agronomic practices, the costs of defense will increase as will the risk of not obtaining healthy grapes, needlessly putting the production strategies into crisis. biological protection, recently pointed out as insufficient and ineffective but only because they have not been adapted to climate change".
The new season of Viticultural Conversations with Giovanni Bigot , which has already exceeded one hundred appointments over the years, will host a large audience of experts , including university professors and researchers, with whom the agronomist will explore different themes and points of view on agronomic management of the vineyard. The episodes will be broadcast live and also made available in deferred form on 4Grapes' LinkedIn , Facebook and YouTube profiles and in podcast format on the various audio platforms.
