Small scale fungal community differentiation in a vineyard system

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Science
• Microbiology
• Genetics

Background:

• Microbes impact agricultural commodity quality and regional distinctiveness, notably in wine.
• Geographic patterns of microbial communities are known at broad scales, but not within vineyards.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate microbial differentiation at the vineyard scale.
• To determine if fungal communities and yeast populations vary between vineyard sites.
• To assess the role of vineyard microbiomes in agricultural product identity.

Main Methods:

• Metagenomic sequencing to analyze fungal communities.
• Population genetics to study yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) populations.
• Comparison of microbial communities from four Central Otago Pinot Noir vineyard sites.

Main Results:

• Significant differentiation of fungal communities was observed between vineyard sites.
• No significant vineyard-specific demarcation was found for fermenting Saccharomyces cerevisiae populations.
• Evidence suggests vineyard microbiomes may contribute to vineyard-specific wine attributes.

Conclusions:

• Fungal communities are differentiated at the vineyard scale, supporting the idea of vineyard-specific microbiomes.
• While Saccharomyces cerevisiae populations did not show vineyard demarcation, other microbes likely contribute to distinctiveness.
• Understanding microbial differentiation at smaller scales has economic implications for agriculture and sustainable management.