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Bacteria from the Antarctic polar regions can reduce frost damage in viticulture by up to 80 percent. This is reported by the French trade magazine Vitisphere. For this, researchers isolated so-called extremophilic bacteria from Antarctic soils during several expeditions. Extremophilic bacteria exist under environmental conditions that would mean death for most other life forms. The resulting product, named Crioprotect, is applied in a solution. The bacteria colonize the leaf surface and displace the microorganisms responsible for ice formation. Additionally, they produce sugars and other metabolic products that improve the vine's response to cold stress without altering its natural ecosystem of microorganisms. In combination with biopolymers that form an insulating protective film on the leaf surface, the solution is said to provide protection against temperatures down to –4 °C for up to twelve hours, according to the manufacturer Pewman.
Winemakers should apply the product every two weeks between early March and late April. This corresponds to the lifespan of the bacteria before they decompose in the soil. This could reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions from frost protection fires by up to 90 percent, Pewman writes on its website. Crioprotect is currently being tested on several trial plots in Alsace, Burgundy, and the Loire Valley and is expected to be approved by the end of the year. Pewman is also working on products based on bacteria from the Atacama Desert in Chile. These are intended to reduce drought stress as well as the sensitivity of the vines to high temperatures and UV radiation.
(al; Image: Wikimedia Commons)
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