GIS applications in viticulture. The spatial distribution of climatic suitability for grape growing in Huşi wine-growing centre (Romania)

Abstract

This paper is part of a GISbased approach aiming to develop the map of ecological suitability for grape growing in Huşi wine-growing centre, Huşi vineyard (Romania). The database underlying this study includes ten climatic factors and indicators that are considered to be defining for the climatic suitability of a geographic area. They are: solar radiation (kcal/cm2/1.04-30.09), solar insolation (hours/1.04-30.09), annual average temperature (°C), the hottest month average temperature (°C), the sum of fractions of average daily temperatures above 10°C for the period from 1st April to 30 September (Σtu°C), average rainfall for the period from 1st April to 30 September (mm), the length of bioactive period (mm), the heliothermal index (IHr), the bioclimatic index (Ibcv) and the index of oenoclimatic aptitude (IAOe). The values of climatic factors were grouped in three suitability classes, according to their influence on the grapes quality for wine grapes varieties, and included in a GIS database that has been used to generate the climatic suitability map of the wine-growing centre. The GIS-based analysis shows that 76.29% of Huşi wine-growing centre area has climatic potential for white qualitative wines production, 16.95% for red table wines production and 2.03% for white table wines, sparkling wines and distillates. No part of Huşi wine-growing centre has the climatic potential to produce red quality wines.