Freezing Tolerance and Injury in Grapevines

Abstract

Summary Grapes, due to their wide distribution, are one of the temperate fruit crops most frequently damaged by freezing temperatures. Freezing injury can result in decreases in yield and substantial economic losses to grape growers, subsequently impacting fruit wholesalers, wineries, distributors, and related industries. Freeze damage is not limited to the northern or southern limits of the production range. Freezing injury can occur in spring, fall, or winter in many of the grape growing regions. An understanding of the mechanisms involved in freezing tolerance, acclimation, and deacclimation in grapevines is needed to match cultivars appropriately with growing sites, improve cultural practices that minimize freezing injury, and aid in breeding and selecting cultivars with improved freezing tolerance. The ability to avoid or tolerate freezing temperatures includes a complex set of traits that is influenced by the inherent genetic characteristics of the grapevine and its interaction with the environment. In the present review, the mechanisms of freezing tolerance in grapevines are summarized and discussed in relation to the influence of genotype, phenological development, and environmental factors. Key Words: Freezing tolerancefreezing injurygrapevineVitisdormancyice nucleationsupercoolthermographythermal analysislow temperature exotherm (LTE)lethal temperature