Project start: 01.01.2018
Project end: 31.12.2022
Sponsor: Hessen State Ministry of Higher Education, Research and the Arts
Many of the aromatic agents, fragrances and vitamins found in foods, cosmetics and pharmaceutical products are plant-based. The fruits of blackcurrant, for example, are not only healthy, but they are also valued for their aroma compounds and essential oils. These substances are becoming increasingly attractive for industrial applications, and sustainable production methods are becoming more and more important. In the LOEWE project "AROMAplus", the research team wants to extract or refine plant metabolites with the help of enzymes and microorganisms such as yeasts, fungi and bacteria. In this process, plant residues resulting from the cultivation of blackcurrants or grapes are used as biological raw materials.
Project start: 01.01.2018
Project end: 31.12.2025
Project start: 01.07.2016
Project end: 31.08.2018
Sponsor: Hessen State Ministry of Higher Education, Research and the Arts
Climate change cannot currently be ignored and impacts all fields of agriculture. IPCC reports forecast an increase of up to 700 ppm of atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration at the end of the 21st century. Parameters such as elevated global temperature, reduced precipitations in certain areas of the world and increase of atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration are modifying plants’ environment. Grapevine, which is a crop of economic and cultural importance, is very sensitive to climate modifications. The effects of temperature or water stress on grapevine has been widely investigated, and elevated carbon dioxide has been mainly studied in enclosed systems such as greenhouses. However, the impact of increased concentration of carbon dioxide on plants in open-field experiments remains scarcely studied because of the technical challenge that it represents. In this context, the aim of this PhD work was to investigate the impact of elevated carbon dioxide concentration using the set-up VineyardFACE located at Geisenheim University. This open field set-up enables to apply a moderate and gradual increase (+20%) of ambient carbon dioxide concentration on two grapevine cultivars, Riesling, and Cabernet Sauvignon. While knowing the impact of elevated carbon dioxide treatment on leaf physiology and vegetative growth from previous studies (Wohlfahrt et al., 2018), as well as on berry composition during the early years of fumigation, the goal of this study was to determine the effects of elevated carbon dioxide treatment on agronomical traits, primary metabolites (sugars, organic acids, amino acids) and secondary metabolites (anthocyanins, terpenes) on vines undergoing six years of fumigation, as well as monitoring berry development and following berry ripening for successive seasons. Intermediates from central metabolism were also studied for two years (2020 and 2021), and terpene analysis was realized on Riesling must 2021.
Our results showed that although photosynthesis was still enhanced, little effects were found of
Project start: 01.11.2014
Project end: 31.05.2018
Sponsor: Forschungsring des Deutschen Weinbaus, Deutsche Landwirtschaftsgesellschaft