Effects of Water-Deficit Irrigation on Hormonal Content and Nitrogen Compounds in Developing Berries of Vitis vinifera L. cv. Tempranillo

Abstract

Water-deficit irrigation to grapevines reduces plant growth, yield, and berry growth, altering the ripening process, all of which may influence fruit composition and wine quality. Therefore, the goals of this study were (1) to investigate the influence of the main endogenous berry hormones, abscisic acid (ABA), indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), salicylic acid (SA), and jasmonic acid (JA), on berry growth and ripening under water-deficit conditions and (2) to analyze changes in fruit composition, specifically N compounds, under water deprivation. The study was carried out using container-grown Tempranillo grapevines grown under controlled conditions in a greenhouse. Two irrigation treatments were imposed: control (well-watered) and sustained deficit irrigation (SDI). Water deficit decreased leaf area and the source-to-sink ratio, reduced yield and berry size, and decreased concentrations of the main phenolic compounds. SDI also modified berry hormonal status. At the pea-size stage, SDI berries had lower IAA and higher JA and SA than nonstressed berries. At veraison (onset of ripening), accumulation of ABA was less accentuated in SDI than in control berries. At harvest, the content of amino acids and free ammonium was low in both treatments but SDI-treated berries showed a significant accumulation of amines. Results suggest that water restrictions to grapevines might be playing a physiological role in reducing berry growth through affecting hormone dynamics, phenolic synthesis, and the berry amino acid content and composition, which could compromise fruit quality. Possible roles of endogenous IAA controlling berry size and endogenous ABA and SA controlling levels of anthocyanins and flavonols at harvest are discussed.