Warmer, dryer conditions will shape the way winegrapes and other crops are grown, with researchers looking for practical ways to adapt to climate change.
SARDI Sustainable Systems scientists are examining a range of management techniques to assist in the transition to hotter, more variable conditions.
This includes work in vineyards and cherry orchards.
Even subtle changes in temperature regimes can affect crop behaviour and performance, one of the research projects has shown.
"In red wine varieties such as Shiraz and Cabernet Franc, for example, elevated temperature upsets the balance between pigments and sugars in berries, with consequences for wine colour and potential alcohol," SARDI crop physiologist Dr Victor Sadras said.
"Timely reduction of water supply during berry ripening can partially restore this balance," he said.
The research project, led by SARDI crop scientists Dr Sadras and Martin Moran, and Treasury Wine Estates viticulturist Paul Petrie, has been measuring the effect of elevated temperature and drought on vines and wines.
This work will help grapegrowers and winemakers to develop the technologies to maintain the production of quality grapes and regional wine styles in the face of changing climatic conditions.
Funded by the Grape and Wine Research and Development Corporation (GWRDC) and the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF), this research will provide the industry with a window to the future.
Dr Sadras says among other things, it will develop maturity projections for specific varieties, given that each grape variety reacts slightly differently to temperature and other environmental conditions.
While experiments in SARDI vineyards in the Barossa Valley showed that elevated temperature is unlikely to cause severe yield reductions, it is likely to alter wine balance.
Delayed pruning and growing vines in cooler locations are also being examined as means to push forward critical grape ripening stages into cooler conditions to compensate for a warmer climate and retain berry compositional balance.
In another project, SARDI Sustainable Systems scientists Dr Peter Hayman and Dr Dane Thomas gathered historic weather and climate information from 25 cherry growing regions in Australia to analyse the weather and climate risks faced by cherry growers in the current climate. They then considered the effects of temperatures rising by up to 2°C and rainfall decreasing by 10%.
Australian Bureau of Meteorology figures show each decade since the 1950s is warmer than the previous decade. Individual years such as 2011 are slightly cooler than the 1961-1990 average, but the decade averages are warmer.
The Understanding and managing the risks and opportunities from climate change on Cherry production report noted a number of management techniques to reduce the risks in the current climate and prepare for weather extremes and a warmer and water constrained future.
The project was supported the Australian Government DAFF, under FarmReady, part of Australia’s Farming Future, and Cherry Growers Australia. Read the report at the Cherry Growers website.