Classification of varieties for their timing of flowering and veraison using a modelling approach: A case study for the grapevine species Vitis vinifera L

16 pages; International audience; tUnderstanding differences in phenology for varieties of a given species is important for making informeddecisions on variety choice in the context of climate change and breeding new cultivars. Phenologicalmodels that incorporate temperature as a key environmental factor can be used to describe the differencesin phenological timing between cultivars. This paper outlines a methodology, based on a phenologicalmodel, for classifying the timing of flowering and veraison for a substantial number of varieties of thegrapevine (Vitis vinifera L.). 95 varieties were characterized for flowering and 104 varieties for veraison.Various statistical measures were used to assess the performance and predictions of the model at thevarietal level: model efficiency, root mean squared error and confidence intervals. The methodologymight be used to understand varietal differences for other species in future studies. Model outputs canbe used in combination with predicted climate change scenarios to assess the suitability of varietiesunder climate conditions of the future.