Abstract
Climate changes lead to a rise in air temperature, which significantly increases the water needs of plants. Maintaining crop productivity will increasingly require the use of plant irrigation. The aim of this study was to assess the water needs of grapevines cultivated in the western provinces of Poland. The calculations were made on the basis of temperature and precipitation measurements collected at three meteorological stations in the period 1981–2010. Water needs were calculated as crop evapotranspiration, which was estimated by crop coefficients and reference evapotranspiration, determined using the Blaney–Criddle formula. The rainfall deficit was assessed by Ostromęcki’s method. The tendency to increase the water needs was observed in each subsequent decade of the thirty-year period, both in the whole growing season (May–October), as well as in June–August and July. The highest values of the linear correlation coefficient for the trend of time variability in water needs occurred from June to August. An analysis of water needs and rainfall deficits indicates the need for the additional irrigation of vineyards in western Poland, especially in very dry years and in June–August. Current research results are helpful in designing vineyard irrigation systems and allow an economical and efficient planning of grapevine irrigation.
Highlights
Viticulture is conducted in regions that are limited by isotherms of a daily mean air temperature of 10 and 20 ◦C [1]
The water needs of grapevines (Vitis vinifera L.) for cultivation in western Poland were assessed on the basis of temperature and precipitation measurements carried out at three meteorological stations located in Szczecin, Zielona Góra and Wrocław, representative of the three provinces located in the western part of the country, including Pomeranian, Lubusz and Lower Silesian provinces, respectively (Table 1, Figure 1)
The observed and forecasted climate changes relate to an increase in air temperature, without a simultaneous rise in precipitation, which leads to an increase in the water needs of plants during the growing season
Summary
Viticulture is conducted in regions that are limited by isotherms of a daily mean air temperature of 10 and 20 ◦C [1]. Southern Europe may become too warm to produce high-quality wines. Wine production in the northern part of the Europe, i.e., in countries that are not traditionally associated with viticulture, can become profitable [2,3,4,5,6]. This study provides confirmation that wines from colder climates frequently reveal unique and desirable properties. It has been observed in recent years, as a result of global warming, that grapevine fruits ripen earlier and earlier [8]. There are currently opportunities for grapevines growing in regions where there is no tradition of wine production [9]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
