Effects of regulated deficit irrigation on the growth and berry composition of Cabernet Sauvignon in Ningxia

Rui Wang,Junxiang Zhang,Pengke Yan,Quan Sun,Baofeng Su

doi:10.25165/j.ijabe.20191206.5206

Abstract

The adoption of water-saving irrigation strategies is required particularly for wine grape variety, which has been widely cultivated in arid and semiarid areas. To assess vine response to regulated deficit irrigation (RDI), the grape growth and berry composition under five treatments that irrigated at a certain percentage of the crop evapotranspiration (ETc) were evaluated over a 3-year period in a vineyard with the grape variety of Cabernet Sauvignon. The results indicated that RDI had a significant effect on the grape berry size and yield. The largest berry size (12.20 mm) was obtained under the T50 in 2014, while the smallest berry size (9.83 mm) one was obtained under the CK treatments in the same season. The highest individual yield occurred in the T50 treatment, with an average of 1.99 kg, followed by the T25-50 treatment. However, both weights were significantly larger than that of the CK treatment. Compared with the T50 treatments, the individual grape vine yield in the T50-25 treatments were slightly less by 16.9% for 2013, 15.3% for 2014 and 18.1% for 2015. Compared to control (CK) treatment, the soluble solid and reducing sugar contents decreased, the total acid content increased, and the sugar/acid ratio basically showed a downward trend. The treatment irrigated at 50% ETc until veraison and 25% thereafter (T50-25) increased the phenolic compound content in grape skins. The treatment received only rain water during the grape growing season (CK) and the one irrigated at 25% of the ETc crop evapotranspiration (T25) caused defoliation and negatively affected the yields and grape composition during all 3 years. Therefore, the RDI not only inhibited the vine vegetative growth but also improved the fruit quality. In terms of productivity and grape composition, the Cabernet Sauvignon grape variety was most sensitive to water stress post-veraison. Over the comprehensive consideration of yield, water-use efficiency and berry composition, the T50-25 treatment was the most efficient irrigation strategy in this area. Keywords: regulated deficit irrigation, Cabernet Sauvignon, arid area, grape composition DOI: 10.25165/j.ijabe.20191206.5206 Citation: Wang R, Yan P K, Sun Q, Su B F, Zhang J X. Effects of regulated deficit irrigation on the growth and berry composition of Cabernet Sauvignon in Ningxia. Int J Agric & Biol Eng, 2019; 12(6): 102–109.

Highlights

The adoption of water-saving irrigation strategies is required for wine grape variety, which has been widely cultivated in arid and semiarid areas
To assess vine response to regulated deficit irrigation (RDI), the grape growth and berry composition under five treatments that irrigated at a certain percentage of the crop evapotranspiration (ETc) were evaluated over a 3-year period in a vineyard with the grape variety of Cabernet Sauvignon
The results indicated that RDI had a significant effect on the grape berry size and yield

Summary

Introduction

The adoption of water-saving irrigation strategies is required for wine grape variety, which has been widely cultivated in arid and semiarid areas. The most promising technique, RDI can improve water use efficiency (WUE) of grapevines and reduce the vegetative growth, which may affect berry composition, especially polyphenols and aroma[4,5,6,7] The vineyard conditions, such as soil texture and depth, atmospheric environment, variety, irrigation scheduling and viticulture practices that makes it difficult to predict the best timing for imposing water deficits[8]. It has been found that RDI can alter the vine physiology and plant chemical signaling systems to obtain horticultural benefits, such as improving crop water utilization, conserving irrigation water and increasing fruit quality[8,12] In this viticultural context, RDI has emerged as a potential strategy for improving the cluster microclimate, reducing the berry size and increasing the sugar and polyphenol contents[13,14]. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of RDI on the vegetative growth, yield, and berry composition on Cabernet Sauvignon vines in the Helan Mountain vineyards using field trial method during year 2013 to 2015

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion