A COMPARATIVE STUDY ON EFFECTS OF REFLECTIVE MULCH AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO SOME OTHER PREHARVEST APPLICATIONS TO IMPROVE PHENOLIC COMPOUNDS PROFILE AND ANTHOCYANIN ACCUMULATION OF CV. SYRAH WINE GRAPE (V. vinifera L.)
In today’s modern viticulture, reflective mulches and summer pruning practices are remarkable tools thatmay facilitate grape growers to increase yield and improve the grape quality. This study aimed to assess howreflective mulch application (RM) affects components of phenolic compounds and anthocyanin of cv. Syrahthe compared to other preharvest applications such as basal leaf removal application (BLR), foliar prolineapplication (PRO) and their various combinations, including applications of basal leaf removal + proline(BLR+PRO), basal leaf removal + reflective mulch (BLR+RM), proline + reflective mulch (PRO+RM) andbasal leaf removal + proline + reflective mulch (BLR+PRO+RM). The study findings demonstrated that reflectivemulch application (RM) may considerably enhance light distribution in the canopy of grapevine byincreasing reflected light from the ground. In the current study, it was observed that combined applicationshad significant roles on improving yield and quality characteristics. In terms of total phenolic compoundscontent, the highest values were obtained from applications of BLR+RM and PRO+RM. Moreover, all applicationshad a rise to crucial increases in total anthocyanin content of cv. Syrah wine grape when the comparedwith C application.