Futur prospects

Viticulture is a very valuable crop in terms of income and still attracts new producers. However, in order to stay this way, growers will have to meet several challenges with the help of scientists. First, the use of pesticides will have to be greatly reduced through the development of global strategies using fewer chemicals with other methods such as biological control, genetic resistance and new agronomical practices. The design of such integrated systems requires in-depth knowledge at several levels on how the grapevine functions in its biotic and abiotic environment. This will be achieved using metagenomics strategies to generate inventories of the Grapevine-Associated Micro-Flora, as well as transcriptomic, proteomic and metabolomic analyses of both grapevine and pests and pathogens during their interaction. Modern genome based approaches will also increase the effi ciency in the breeding of new varieties combining high quality and durable resistance. Second, viticulture will have to adapt to changing growing conditions due to global climate changes and to better and more rapidly meet consumer demands. This will require the ability to model the function of grapevine in the environment based on a combination of genomics, genetic and ecophysiologic information as a way to quickly target the relevant trait and the relevant strategy to address (breeding, training practices, enology practices, etc.).