Abstract
The present work studied the effect of two consecutive years of regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) compared to rain fed management on the vegetative growth, yield, and quality of ‘Nero d’Avola’ grapes. The trial was conducted separately in two soils (vertisol and entisol) located at the top and bottom hillside of the same vineyard. Vertisol was characterized by greater depth, organic matter, exchangeable K2O, and total N than entisol. RDI was based on an irrigation volume at 25% of estimated crop evapotranspiration (ETc) up to end of veraison and 10% of estimated ETc up to 15 days before harvest. Predawn water potential (PDWP) was used as indicator of plant water status and irrigation timing. No difference in irrigation management was evident between vertisol and entisol. Under Mediterranean climate conditions, RDI was able to enhance grape yield and vegetative growth, especially in vertisol, but it reduced berry titratable acidity and total anthocyanins. ‘Nero d’Avola’ showed to adapt to drought conditions in the open field. Both soil type and irrigation regimes may provide opportunities to obtain different ‘Nero d’Avola’ wine quality and boost typicality.
Highlights
Under Mediterranean climate conditions, regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) was able to enhance grape yield and vegetative growth, especially in vertisol, but it reduced berry titratable acidity and total anthocyanins
Soil is an important part of terroir, but great wines are not related to one soil type [4]
Vines were trained to a vertical shoot positioned trellis (VSP) and pruned to two buds per spur, spaced at approximately 15 cm in a single cordon (Table S1)
Summary
Under Mediterranean climate conditions, RDI was able to enhance grape yield and vegetative growth, especially in vertisol, but it reduced berry titratable acidity and total anthocyanins. Showed to adapt to drought conditions in the open field Both soil type and irrigation regimes may provide opportunities to obtain different ‘Nero d’Avola’ wine quality and boost typicality. Mediterranean regions are being affected by marked climate changes, primarily characterized by reduced precipitation, greater concurrence of temperature extremes and drought during the growing season, and increased inter-annual variability in temperatures and rainfall [1,2] For this reason, the wine regions of southern Europe will experience, or are already experiencing, a modification of their traditional terroirs, which in turn, will significantly increase the variability of yields and wine quality attributes, style, and typicality [3]. Soil is an important part of terroir, but great wines are not related to one soil type [4]
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