Evaluation of rain-shelter cultivation mode effects on microbial diversity during Cabernet Sauvignon (Vitis vinifera L.) maturation in Jingyang, Shaanxi, China

[Display omitted] •High throughput sequencing, Illumina HiSeq 2500, was applied to investigate the microbial diversity of rain-shelter cultivated vineyard.•Microbial community pattens of different grapevine compartments and vine soils were compared during grape development to determine the impacts of rain-shelter cultivation.•Altered vineyard microclimate under rain-shelter treatment effectively minimized potential microbial diseases caused by Alternaria, Colletotrichum, etc.•Our research signified the rain-shelter as an alternative way with limited chemicals/fungicides usage for an optimal vineyard management. Rainfall particularly under continental climates with monsoonal tendency impacts the vineyard microbial niches during grapevine growth. With microbial community shifts, vine traits (grape flavor and yield) cultivated/protected under rain-shelter may ultimately be altered. Such cultivation may influence microflora dynamics via meteorological parameter variations, however this is unclear yet. Here, we used Cabernet Sauvignon, a prevalent red cultivar among wine growing regions, to evaluate the effects of the rain-shelter cultivation on the microorganism diversity. We found that average air temperature under rain-shelter conditions was 2–3 °C higher than the non-covered group, while air humidity the maximum reduction was 5.79% (p