Yağmur Uysal, Zeynep Görkem Doğaroğlu, Zehranur Çaylali & Mehmet Nuri Makas

Purpose Nowadays, there is an increasing interest in hydrogel production and usability at different fields especially agricultural applications since biodegradable polymeric hydrogels can enhance the water retention capacity of soil and the nutritional status of plants. This work aimed to determine the biochar-doped hydrogel production and their swelling properties in deionized water, tap water, and saline water 0.5% and 1%. It was also evaluated that the phytotoxicological impacts on wheat seeds.

Method The hydrogel production was realized using PVA-SA polymers and it contained different amounts of biochar from vineyard pruning wastes, dry leaves, and compost. The characterization analysis of the synthesized biochars, biochar-doped hydrogels, and raw hydrogels was realized by FT-IR and SEM. The swelling capacity, time-dependent swelling kinetics, re-swelling properties, and wheat germination and root-shoot elongation impacts of synthesized hydrogels were evaluated.

Results and conclusion The hydrogels contained three types of biochar and showed different swelling properties in different aqueous media. The maximum and the minimum swelling capacity was determined in saline water (0.5% and 1%) and deionized water, respectively. The maximum time-dependent swelling capacity was determined at 0.1% leaf (as 193.2%) and vine pruning (as 142.6%) biochar-doped hydrogels, and 0.2% compost (128.93%) biochar-doped hydrogels. The phytotoxicological test results showed that the shoot length decreased by 42.06% for 0.4% LBHG, 27.5% for 0.4% VBHG, and 23.91% for 0.2% CBHG treatment. For hydrogel production, the threshold and eco-toxicological properties should be well determined for hydrogel and hydrogel additives.

Journal of Soils and Sediments 23, 3787–3805 (2023)

João Prada, Lia-Tânia Dinis, Elia Soriato, ElodieVandelle, Oğuzhan Soletkin, Şener Uysal, Abdelhi Dihazi, Conceição Santos & João A. Santos

The global increase in extreme weather and climate events may dramatically impact agriculture, food safety, and socioeconomic dynamics. The Mediterranean basin is already exposed to extreme climatic events, severely challenging viticulture, a pivotal Mediterranean agro–industry. This study aims to understand better how climate is expected to evolve in six viticulturally important Mediterranean regions in Portugal, Italy, Turkey and Morocco, using a 4–member ensemble of climatic model projections under Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP) 4.5 and 8.5 for 2041–2070, and using the 1981–2010 period as a baseline. By comparing the main specific challenges these locations will face, we comparatively define the best strategies to reduce the impacts of climate change at the national and regional levels. Projections show increases in overall temperatures, up to + 3.6°C than the historical baseline, whilst precipitation projections indicate decreases that could reach 36% of the overall annual precipitation. Biological effective degree days, consecutive dry days, growing season length, tropical nights, or very heavy precipitation days, also show challenging prospects for viticulture in these countries. A screening of the adaptative strategies already undertaken in the studied countries suggests that growers are taking reactive rather than preventive strategies. Moreover, the discussion of the most suitable strategies in this study is region–specific, i.e., prioritised by the specific needs of each location. The conclusions drawn herein may support local growers, improving their decision–making based on the most adequate adaptive strategies to their conditions, thus optimising their sustainable production under changing climates.

Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change 29, 52 (2024)

Cátia Brito, Sandra Pereira, Sanda Martins, Ana Monteiro, José Manuel Moutinho-Pereira, Lia Dinis

In the face of escalating climate change impacts, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set forth by the United Nations present a comprehensive blueprint for achieving a better and more sustainable future for all. The wine industry, with its extensive global reach and significant economic impact, holds a unique position to contribute toward these goals. This review examines how the wine industry can, directly and indirectly, support all 17 SDGs through a multidisciplinary approach, incorporating extensive literature analysis. The study explores the alignment of wine industry practices with the SDGs across three key pillars: social, environmental, and governance goals. Social initiatives focus on enhancing livelihoods, food security, fair and safe working conditions, inclusive and ethical development among the workers and communities, education, and economic growth. Environmental efforts emphasize reducing the industry’s carbon footprint, conserving water, improving water and energy use efficiency, improving grapevine resilience against adverse environmental conditions, minimizing pollution, protecting biodiversity, creating more sustainable cities, and promoting moderate wine consumption. Governance goals highlight the importance of regulatory frameworks, wine industry standards, and stakeholder engagement in promoting sustainable, responsible and ethical practices, contributing to effective partnerships and institutional capacity. Conclusions highlight the wine industry’s commitment to sustainability as a catalyst for positive change, demonstrating that profitability and environmental stewardship can coexist. Future perspectives call for enhanced collaboration, research, education, supportive policies, robust monitoring, and equality initiatives. By embracing sustainable practices, the wine industry can play a vital role in advancing the global agenda for a more equitable, resilient, and sustainable future.

Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems 8, 1437872 (2024)

Yağmur Uysal, Zeynep Görkem Doğaroğlu, Mehmet Nuri Makas, Zehranur Çaylali

Water scarcity presents a formidable challenge to agriculture, particularly in arid, semiarid, and rainfed settings. In agricultural contexts, hydrogels serve as granular agents for water retention, undergoing considerable expansion upon water exposure. They assume versatile roles encompassing soil-water retention, the dispensation of nutrients and pesticides, seed encapsulation, erosion mitigation, and even food supplementation. This study's objective involves the examination of biochar-infused hydrogels, fashioned by incorporating vine pruning waste-derived biochars, and the assessment of swelling behaviors in various aqueous environments encompassing deionized, tap, and saline water at concentrations of 0.5–1%. Characterizations of the vine-biochars-VB and biochar-incorporated hydrogels-VBHG are executed, with particular attention to their swelling properties across diverse media. As an initial step toward appraising their agricultural relevance, these hydrogels are introduced to a germination medium featuring wheat seeds to discern potential influences on germination dynamics. The maximum swelling capacity of VBHG is recorded in deionized water, tap water at pH 7.0, tap water at pH 9.0, saline water at 0.5%, and saline water at 1%, reaching 352%, 207%, 230%, 522%, and 549%, respectively. Remarkably, the 0.5% VBHG treatment exhibits the most pronounced root elongation. The application of hydrogels in agriculture exhibits promise, particularly within drought-related contexts and potential soilless applications.

Global challenges 8, 2300254 (2024)

Paulo R. Oliveira‑Pinto, Juliana Oliveira‑Fernandes, David Gramaje, Conceição Santos

Black rot disease (BRD), caused by the still understudied Phyllosticta ampelicida, is spreading across several grape producing countries, posing a growing threat to the agroindustry. The role of the grapevine microbiome in defending against this pathogen, particularly in terms of microbiota structure and community homeostasis, remains unclear. In this study, we aimed to characterize the epiphytic phyllosphere microbiota of grapevines and identify shifts in microbial genetic structure associated with BRD symptoms. We sampled three vineyards of the cultivar “Touriga Nacional” in the Douro region (Portugal), collecting 20 leaves from (a) five healthy and (b) five BRD-symptomatic grapevines. The presence of P. ampelicida was confirmed in all symptomatic samples. Epiphytic bacterial DNA was extracted and sequenced using next-generation sequencing (NGS). Results indicate that although overall the diversity and richness indexes were not different in diseased plants compared to healthy ones, there was a reduction in OTU richness in black rot-affected grapevines. Diseased plants exhibited significant shifts in microbial network assemblages and showed an increased relative abundance of certain taxa, such as Acinetobacter, suggesting a possible recruitment of beneficial bacteria in response to biotic stress. Additionally, we observed a higher abundance of antibiotic resistance-related KEGG Orthologues (KOS) in symptomatic plants, raising potential concerns for human health. This study presents the first characterization of the grapevine phyllosphere epiphytic bacterial microbiota and its structural shifts in response to BRD.

Microbial Ecology 88, 120 (2025)

Khadija Beraouz, Merieme Soufiani, Abderrazak Ait Bihi, Zainab El Alaoui Talibi, Abdelhi Dihazi, and Cherkaoui El Modafar

Grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) is one of the world's most economically important fruit crops. However, in Mediterranean regions, vines are regularly exposed to drought, one of the most critical abiotic stress factors affecting viticulture. This study investigated, over six months, the effects of a bacterial consortium, composed of two strains of Pseudomonas ssp, on grapevines growth, its water content and cellular homeostasis under four levels of water regime (75%, 60%, 50%, and 40% of soil moisture). The applied strains showed good tolerance to drought stress (up to −0.85 MPa), and high production of exopolysaccharides (EPS) and 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) deaminase. The results showed that, under moderate (50%) and severe water stress (40%), the inoculated grapevines plants exhibited significant improvement in terms of growth parameters such as leaf number, trunk diameter, branch number, and root length. Furthermore, the inoculated plants were able to maintain high relative water content (RWC) which increased from 56.90 to 65.86% for 50% regime and from 43.57 to 53.09% for 40% regime. The membrane stability (MS) with MS index increased from 61.68 to 67.31% (for 50% regime) and from 47.98 to 59.86% (for 40% regime), while electrolyte leakage (EL) decreased from 56.81 to 52.27% (50%) and from 68.13 to 62.23% (40%) at 180 day post-treatment. This study evidenced that inoculation with the Pseudomonas bacterial consortium could constitute an effective agronomic approach for sustainable viticulture in arid and semi-arid regions.

Biocatalysis and Agricultural Biotechnology 71 (2026)

Emil Gimranov, João Santos, Laura Regalado, Cátia Teixeira, Paula A.C. Gomes, Conceição Santos, Leandro Pereira‑Dias

The emergence of bacterial resistance and the increasing restrictions on the use of agrochemicals are boosting the search for novel, sustainable antibiotics. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) arise as a new generation of antibiotics due to their effectiveness at low doses and biocompatibility. We compared the antimicrobial activity of four promising AMPs (CA-M, BP100, RW-BP100, and 3.1) against a collection of notorious phytopathogens, and quantified their impact on plant beneficial bacteria. Plant growth promoters (PGP) and biological control agents (BCA) were also included to study the feasibility of integrating AMPs with bio-based strategies to mitigate diseases impacts and promote crop production. Flow cytometry and fluorescence microscopy revealed that the AMPs’ effects on the membrane integrity of both gram-negative and gram-positive strains were time- and concentration-dependent. Bacterial strains were separated into three groups of susceptibility to the AMPs. Group 1 was represented by the most sensitive, gram-negative phytopathogenic belonging to Xanthomonadales and Pseudomonadales and the gram-positive C. michiganensis subsp. michiganensis. Group 2 encompassed bacteria showing intermediate susceptibility, namely P. carotovorum subsp. carotovorum, P. cerasi, both phytopathogens, as well as the plant growth promoters P. fluorescens and P. putida. Finaly, Group 3 was represented by the bacteria with the lowest susceptibility to AMPs. It included beneficial bacteria (B. zhangzhouensis, B. subtilis, B. safensis, P. azotoformans), a phytopathogen (R. solanacearum), and a strain reported as able to act as both (P. aeruginosa). This work demonstrates that the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) needed to act against the beneficial Bacillus and Pseudomonas strains were higher than those needed to produce bacteriostatic or bactericidal effects on the phytopathogens tested, hence supporting that these AMPs might be environmentally safe antibiotics with low likeliness of disrupting the beneficial microbial communities. The possibility of mixing these AMPs with BCA/PGP, in a combined biocontrol strategy, is also discussed.

Journal of Environmental Management 374 123942 (2025)

K. Beraouz, A. Dihazi, A. Ait Bihi, Z. El Alaoui Talibi, S. Ibnsouda Koraichi, and C. El Modafar

Plant root system-associated bacteria have gained huge interest as fertilizers and alternative to chemical treatment. This study aims to isolate grapevine root system bacteria from Loudaya Municipality (Marrakech Region, Morocco) and to explore their ability to behave as plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR). Among 120 bacteria screened based on tri-calcium phosphate (PTC) solubilization activity, thirteen best-performing isolates were selected. All the selected isolates were capable of producing indole acetic acid (IAA), 12 showed the ability to fix nitrogen, 3 produced siderophores, and 4 isolates were able to produce hydrogen cyanide (HCN). Based on the 16S rDNA molecular identification, the selected bacteria were identified as Pseudomonas sp. pl., Raoultella ornithinolytica, Enterobacter cancerogenus, Pseudomonas frederiksbergensis, Erwinia sp., Pseudomonas orientalis, Enterobacter sp. and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Interestingly, Pseudomonas orientalis (LDY9) and Pseudomonas frederiksbergensis (LDY11) have high potential in terms of PTC solubilization (21.49 mg/l and 19.55 mg/l respectively), and IAA production (116.18 µg/mL and 75.72 µg/mL respectively). These two isolates could constitute a suitable inoculum for promoting grapevine plants growth under various conditions.

Journal of Environmental Management 159 1583-1593 (2025)

Soukaina Tayou, Karima Selmaoui, Mohamed Zarid, Mohamed A. El Alaoui, Abdelaziz Ouazzani Touhami, Chafik El Modafar, and Allal Douira

Grapevine diseases are a major limitation to viticulture in Morocco, where various climatic conditions favour the development of leaf, fruit, trunk, and soil-borne pathogens. This review synthesizes historical and recent information on major fungal grapevine diseases in Morocco, focusing on their distribution, epidemiology, diagnostic methods, and management challenges. Downy mildew, powdery mildew, and gray mold continue to have a high economic impact through leaf and fruit infections, leading to intensive fungicide use, while grapevine trunk diseases, particularly Botryosphaeria dieback (caused by Botryosphaeriaceae fungi), are increasingly responsible for yield losses. Although chemical control usage has increased in Morocco, disease management remains primarily focused on preventive methods, which are often suboptimal as they are not guided by forecasting models or integrated with biological control. Furthermore, historical data indicate a previous reliance on symptomatic diagnosis, which has led to gaps in the molecular diagnostic capacity needed for accurate assessment of pathogen diversity and emergence. Finally, this review identifies critical research gaps in Moroccan viticulture, including the lack of national monitoring programs, insufficient experimental validation of biological controls in the field, and the inadequate adoption of climate-informed management practices.

Noturale Scientia Biologicae 18 (2026)

J. Prada, R. Ferreira, J. Oliveira-Fernandes, P.R. Oliveira-Pinto, S. Mendes, LT. Dinis, C. Santos

Climate change is a pivotal challenge to Mediterranean viticulture, including that of the Douro Demarcated Region in Portugal. Identifying and using native beneficial microorganisms emerges as a sustainable, innovative strategy to help vineyards cope with increased temperature and/or drought. From a collection of ~400 native bacteria isolated from the Douro vineyards, the screening of siderophore production, phosphate solubilisation, IAA production, and ACCd activity showed that Myroides odoratimimus and Arthrobacter nitroguajacolicus were the most promising to act as plant growth promoters (PGP), distinguishing themselves by producing high levels of IAA, and by high phosphate-solubilising capacity, respectively. These strains were applied to the rhizosphere of grapevine plants, and showed positive effects by preventing or increasing the grapevines’ reactiveness to the impact of drought stress, on the oxidative disturbance, and the maintenance of the photosynthetic capacity, which permitted the maintenance of energy storage through TIS accumulation, contrary to the results observed in PGP-untreated grapevines subjected to drought stress. Our results demonstrate that enriching grapevines with native M. odoratimimus and A. nitroguajacolicus native contributed, by different mechanisms of action, and with different impacts, to the plant’s defence against drought. These results could be promising towards the development of new strategies, namely the application of these PGP bacteria, to mitigate the impact of climate change on viticulture.

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J. Prada, L Pereira-Dias, J. A. Santos, C. Santos

The Douro Demarcated Region (DDR) is a worldwide acknowledged winemaking region. Climate change is threatening the sector, as climatic shifts are expected. This work analysed the multi-factor conditions modulating the rhizobiome of four vineyards in the DDR, focusing on understanding which are the main influential factors for this community. These vineyards’ terroir was environmentally, genetically, and culturally characterised. Rhizobiome dynamics were analysed using 16S metabarcoding from soil samples collected between July 2022 and January 2024. Results indicate distinct vineyards, with several differences observed in rootstock type, precipitation, temperatures, altitude, landscape, and soil characteristics. The results of α-diversity suggest significant differences in the bacterial communities’ richness and phylogenetic diversity, mainly due to the rootstock and landscape. Bacillus, Solirubrobacter, and Streptomyces, were the most dominant genera across the study, despite the seasonal shifts observed in the relative abundance of several others. Other correlations were observed, such as the negative correlations of Bacillus and Paenibacillus with soil pH, or of other genera with the Ca-Mg-Fe group. Rootstock significantly influenced the rhizobiome, and a few genera were found to be exclusive to either 1103-P or R110. This work provides insights of the impacts of environmental, genetic, and cultural characteristics on the rhizobiome, being fundamental to the grapevine’s physiological and metabolic processes. The knowledge of the rhizobiome discloses the presence/absence of key bacteria, such as plant-growth promoters (PGP) or biocontrol agents (BCA), and to analyse possible treatments with synthetic communities to enrich it, which can be crucial to improve the grapevine’s resilience to climate change.

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