VineColD: an integrative database for global historical tracing and real-time monitoring of grapevine cold hardiness

Cold hardiness is a crucial physiological parameter that determines the survival of grapevines during the dormant season. Accurate modelling and large-scale prediction of grapevine cold hardiness are essential for assessing the potential geographic distribution of grapevine cultivation, quantifying the impact of climate change on grapevine habitats, and ensuring the sustainability of the grape and wine industries worldwide in the regions characterized by cool or cold dormant seasons. However, until now, no comprehensive database has been available. In this research, we combined advanced automated machine learning techniques with extensive historical and current weather data to create an integrative database for grapevine cold hardiness: VineColD (https://cornell-tree-fruit-physiology.shinyapps.io/VineColD/). We developed the NYUS.2.1 model, an automated machine learning-based system for predicting grapevine cold hardiness and applied it to global historical weather data from 17,985 curated weather stations between latitudes 30° and 55° in both hemispheres from 1960 to 2024, resulting in the development of an integrative grapevine cold hardiness database and monitoring system, VineColD. VineColD integrates both a global historical dataset and a daily updated regional cold hardiness system, offering a comprehensive resource to study grape cold hardiness for 54 grapevine cultivars. The platform provides multiple download options, from single-station data to complete datasets, and the interactive multifunctional R Shiny application facilitates data analysis and visualization. VineColD delivers critical insights into the impact of climate change on grapevine cultivation and supports a range of analytical functions, making it a valuable tool for grape growers and researchers.