Climatología y evapotranspiración en valles vitivinícolas de Baja California

Bioclimatic indices, including evapotranspiration, have been used together to characterize the climate in a region and correlate its influence on the physiological processes of the vine and on the quality of the fruit and wine, as well as to characterize and define growing areas. However, few studies have been conducted to characterize the wine regions in Mexico. Therefore, the objective of this study was to characterize the wine regions of Baja California according to climatic variables. Ambient temperature, irradiance, relative humidity, wind speed and direction were evaluated in the Guadalupe Valley (VG), San Antonio de las Minas (SAM), San Vicente (SV) and Santo Tomas (ST) in Baja California from 2013 to 2018. The relationship between the bioclimatic indices of GDD and HI was significantly high, indicating that these two indices capture the same climate information. Using the GDDs, the SAM and SV valleys were classified as region IV (temperate-warm) while VG and ST were classified as region V (warm and very warm zones). Similarly, evapotranspiration in SAM and SV was 15% lower than that observed in VG and ST. These results help establish the most suitable areas for viticulture as well as for water management in Baja California.