Using temperature to predict the end of flowering in the common grape (Vitis vinifera) in the Macerata wine region, Italy

The growth of the grapevine is determined largely by temperature, thus it is essential to investigate the role of temperature in crop phenology. This study takes into account three diverse cultivars of grapevine never studied phenologically in this area, on three farms in the province of Macerata (Central Italy, east side).The end of flowering date was chosen for the significance of the growth transition from the plant to the berries. Preventive climate analysis was implemented by GIS software through the cokriging geostatistical method to spatialize temperature, using altitude as the independent variable. The phenological dates of the cultivars of grapevine were related to temperatures iteratively, creating a new method for calculating growing degree days, on the basis of 4 key (cardinal) temperatures which influence plant growth. This study represents the first step towards creating an identity card for the three studied grapevines, as a tool to improve quality and quantity of yield. © 2018, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.