Publication – Conference Proceedings

Conference contribution – Oral presentation

Exploiting superhydrophobicity to protect the grapevine against biotic and abiotic stresses

11th National Conference on Viticulture (CONAVI 2026), Bolzano, Italy, 9-11 June 2026.

This study evaluates the potential of SafeWax, a fatty acid-based formulation that creates a superhydrophobic coating on leaf surfaces, to mitigate the negative impacts of drought and heat stress on Vitis vinifera cv. Sangiovese grapevines. Conducted across the 2024 and 2025 growing seasons under different irrigation regimes, the experiments demonstrated that while the treatment did not adversely affect gas exchange processes in the first year, the adjusted application timing in 2025 successfully altered the vines’ physiological responses under water deficit conditions. Specifically, SafeWax temporarily reduced leaf temperature and helped sustain higher photosynthetic efficiency over time without harming the plant’s overall water status, highlighting bio-inspired superhydrophobic coatings as a promising and sustainable strategy to enhance crop resilience against climate change induced environmental stresses.