CROP LOAD EFFECTS ON LEAF AREA EVOLUTION AND LIGHT INTERCEPTION IN 'MONTEPULCIANO' GRAPEVINES (VITIS VINIFERA L.) TRAINED TO 'TENDONE' SYSTEM

Hailstorms are typically localized events, and very little is known about their effect on crops. The objective of this study was to examine the physiological and vine performance responses to natural hail, registered four weeks after full bloom, of field-grown Thompson seedless (Vitis vinifera L.) grapevines, one of the most important table grape varieties cultivated in Greece and especially in the Corinthian region in northeastern Peloponnese. Leaf gas exchange, vegetative growth, vine balance indices, cane wood reserves, yield components, and fruit chemical composition were recorded from hail-damaged vines and compared with control vines. Visibly, the extent of the hailstorm damage was great enough to injure or remove leaves as well as cause partial stem bruising and partial injury or total cracking of berries. Our results indicated that natural hail did not affect leaf photosynthesis, berry weight, total acidity, and cane wood reserves but significantly reduced the total leaf area, yield, and the total phenolics of berries at harvest. At the same time, hail-damaged vines increased the leaf area of lateral canes and presented a higher total soluble solid (TSS) accumulation, while no effect on the next year’s fertility was registered. The present work is the first attempt to enhance our understanding of the vegetative yield, berry quality, and physiological responses of grapevines to natural hail, which is an extreme and complex natural phenomenon that is likely to increase due to climate change.

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Corrigendum to: Impact of crop load on nitrogen uptake and reserve mobilisation in Vitis vinifera

Functional Plant Biology ◽

10.1071/fp20010_co ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 47 (8) ◽

pp. 769

Author(s):

Thibaut Verdenal ◽

Jorge E. Spangenberg ◽

Vivian Zufferey ◽

Ágnes Dienes-Nagy ◽

Olivier Viret ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Vitis Vinifera ◽

Cultural Practices ◽

N Uptake ◽

Control Plant ◽

High Yield ◽

Vitis Vinifera L ◽

Crop Load ◽

N Content ◽

Root Reserves ◽

Reserve Mobilisation

Nitrogen deficit affects both crop production and composition, particularly in crops requiring an optimal fruit N content for aroma development. The adaptation of cultural practices to improve N use efficiency (NUE) (i.e. N uptake, assimilation and partitioning) is a priority for the sustainable production of high-quality crops. A trial was set on potted grapevines (Vitis vinifera L. cv. Chasselas) to investigate the potential of crop limitation (via bunch thinning) to control plant NUE and ultimately fruit N composition at harvest. A large crop load gradient was imposed by bunch thinning (0.5–2.5 kg m–2) and N traceability in the plant was realised with an isotope-labelling method (10 atom % 15N foliar urea). The results indicate that the mobilisation of root reserves plays a major role in the balance of fruit N content. Fertiliser N uptake and assimilation appeared to be strongly stimulated by high-yielding conditions. Fertilisation largely contributed to fulfilling the high fruit N demand while limiting the mobilisation of root reserves under high yield conditions. Plants were able to modulate root N reserve mobilisation and fertiliser N uptake in function of the crop load, thus maintaining a uniform N concentration in fruits. However, the fruit free amino N profile was modified, which potentially altered the fruit aromas. These findings highlight the great capacity of plants to adapt their N metabolism to constraints, crop thinning in this case. This confirms the possibility of monitoring NUE by adapting cultural practices.

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Impact of crop load on nitrogen uptake and reserve mobilisation in Vitis vinifera

Functional Plant Biology ◽

10.1071/fp20010 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 47 (8) ◽

pp. 744

Author(s):

Thibaut Verdenal ◽

Jorge E. Spangenberg ◽

Vivian Zufferey ◽

Ágnes Dienes-Nagy ◽

Olivier Viret ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Vitis Vinifera ◽

Cultural Practices ◽

N Uptake ◽

Control Plant ◽

High Yield ◽

Vitis Vinifera L ◽

Crop Load ◽

N Content ◽

Root Reserves ◽

Reserve Mobilisation

Nitrogen deficit affects both crop production and composition, particularly in crops requiring an optimal fruit N content for aroma development. The adaptation of cultural practices to improve N use efficiency (NUE) (i.e. N uptake, assimilation and partitioning) is a priority for the sustainable production of high-quality crops. A trial was set on potted grapevines (Vitis vinifera L. cv. Chasselas) to investigate the potential of crop limitation (via bunch thinning) to control plant NUE and ultimately fruit N composition at harvest. A large crop load gradient was imposed by bunch thinning (0.5–2.5 kg m–2) and N traceability in the plant was realised with an isotope-labelling method (10 atom % 15N foliar urea). The results indicate that the mobilisation of root reserves plays a major role in the balance of fruit N content. Fertiliser N uptake and assimilation appeared to be strongly stimulated by high-yielding conditions. Fertilisation largely contributed to fulfilling the high fruit N demand while limiting the mobilisation of root reserves under high yield conditions. Plants were able to modulate root N reserve mobilisation and fertiliser N uptake in function of the crop load, thus maintaining a uniform N concentration in fruits. However, the fruit free amino N profile was modified, which potentially altered the fruit aromas. These findings highlight the great capacity of plants to adapt their N metabolism to constraints, crop thinning in this case. This confirms the possibility of monitoring NUE by adapting cultural practices.

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