Abstract
Beyond climatic conditions, qualitative performance is led by the intrinsic characteristics of the genotype. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between vine water status and exogenous abscisic acid (ABA) application on berry composition of the cultivars Cannonau, Merlot and Sangiovese. The experiment, carried out in 2016 and 2017, consisted of comparing two levels of irrigation treatments, full irrigation versus a non-irrigation treatment. Within each treatment, two sub-treatments were set up: (i) 4 mL L−1 of exogenous ABA applied at veraison to clusters only and subsequently repeated after six days; (ii) a control (untreated vines). The application of different irrigation regimes confirmed that the response to water stress is highly cultivar-dependent. Berry composition was influenced differently among cultivars by water stress. In terms of metabolites, positive influences were observed with Cannonau. No significant effects were observed by spraying exogenous ABA directly on grapes. Moreover, no significant interactions were found between the application of water stress and ABA. Exogenous ABA application did not appear to be a viticultural practice capable of influencing must composition in environments characterized by severe environmental conditions such as heat and drought.
Highlights
Grape quality can be described as the result of the balanced accumulation of primary and secondary compounds influenced by complex interactions between different factors [1]
While primary and secondary metabolites are positively affected by water stress, berry composition is determined by the interplay between soil water availability, atmospheric conditions [6] and genetic factors [7]
abscisic acid (ABA) on any metabolites was observed during the study, except for a slight tendency to promote greater colour in the first year in ‘Cannonau’
Summary
Grape quality can be described as the result of the balanced accumulation of primary and secondary compounds influenced by complex interactions between different factors [1]. In this context, the water–plant interaction has been an area of specific attention in recent years [2,3]. While primary and secondary metabolites are positively affected by water stress, berry composition is determined by the interplay between soil water availability, atmospheric conditions [6] and genetic factors [7]. Grapevine cultivars have been described as isohydric or anisohydric depending on their response to soil water stress [8]. Isohydric cultivars are characterized by keeping their leaf water potential above a certain threshold regardless of the soil water availability and/or the atmospheric water demand
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