The Barbera d'Asti and Vini del Monferrato Consortium presents the final results of AGEBA, a study focused on the recovery and valorisation of the ancient germplasm of the Barbera variety for adaptation to climate change

Costigliole d'Asti, 14 September - The Barbera d'Asti and Vini del Monferrato Consortium will present the final results of the study on 22 September at 9.30 am, at the G. Penna Institute of Higher Education, Viatosto 54, Asti “AGEBA - recovery and valorisation of ancient Barbera germplasm for adaptation to climate change ”.

The Ageba project, of which the Consortium is the leader, represents the commitment in the search for a concrete response from the wine world to climate change, as well as a path of discovery of the "Barbera of the future". The final aim of the research, in fact, is the identification of Barbera strains that are particularly resistant to global warming and free from the main virosis, flavescence dorée and black wood. Once these strains had been identified, it was therefore possible to proceed with the recovery of the genetic heritage.

“ During the research, individual Barbera strains present in old vineyards planted during the clonal pre-selection period were identified as bearers of presumably useful characters ” declares the president Vitaliano Maccario “ the impacts that the high, and sometimes extreme, summer temperatures had on these vines. Alongside this main work, foliar treatments with biostimulants based on protein hydrolysates of plant origin were tested in moments of greatest thermal and water stress on the plant, in order to mitigate the negative effects of stress. A further test with the late pruning technique in order to postpone the budding of the vine and, consequently, reduce the risk of incurring damage due to spring frosts and delaying the ripening of the grapes. ”

The results of the study have in fact brought new technical insights into the adaptation of the vine to new climatic conditions. These data will be reported during the conference on Friday 22 September. The conference will be attended by the bodies that, alongside the Consortium, participated in the AGEBA project: the CREA-VE institute, Council for Research in Agriculture and the analysis of the agricultural economy - Viticulture and Oenology Research Center of Asti, the the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart of Piacenza, the G. Penna Higher Secondary Education Institute and ten local agricultural companies that cultivate old vineyards and believed in the project.