Viewpoint of Chitosan Application in Grapevine for Abiotic Stress/Disease Management towards More Resilient Viticulture Practices

Abstract

Chitosan is a biopolymer with various favorable properties (biotic/abiotic stress mitigation, qualitative improvement, bio-fertilizer, bio-stimulant and postharvest management) to meet multiple agricultural objectives. Grapevine is an important crop and has an enormous impact on the world’s economy due to its derived products, notably the different wine styles. In viticulture, chitosan application made significant developments towards higher contents of beneficial metabolites in grape berries as well as stress and postharvest management during recent decades, although the reports are limited. Recent investigations by our group demonstrated chitosan as a potential elicitor molecule at a molecular level and opened the possibility to use chitosan for trunk disease management; moreover, there are not yet any methods to combat trunk diseases in grapevine. The present viewpoint aimed to summarize the different aspects of chitosan application in grapevine in facilitating the development of inclusive and more integrated sanitary viticulture practices in a sustainable manner.