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As a consequence of human driven climate change, an alteration in physiology and productivity of many crops is observed. Phenological developmental stages such as budburst or date of flowering are influenced under changing climate conditions which correspond to an earlier onset of ripening. Amongst others, one of the upcoming problems in viticulture is the increasing sugar content in the fruit which results in higher alcohol contents of the wine. Hence, some viticultural management strategies to fulfil the grower´s requirements were tested. During field measurements in 2010 different canopy management practices and the impact of antitranspirant application were investigated. Both strategies should reduce photosynthesis and in consequence leads to a reduction in the velocity of sugar loading into the berries. Furthermore, to evaluate the findings from the field a greenhouse experiment with potted plants of two different grape varieties (Vitis vinifera L. cv. Müller-Thurgau and Riesling) was performed. Non-invasive techniques such as gas exchange, chlorophyll fluorescence, thermal imaging and determination of leaf compounds were used to measure the physiological state of grapevines in order to investigate the influence of varying leaf area and oil application on plant performance.
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