Yield and quality responses of ‘Aragonez’ grapevines under deficit irrigation and different soil management practices in a mediterranean climate

Alexandra Tomaz,José Migue Coleto Martinez,Carlos Arruda Pacheco

doi:10.1051/ctv/20153001009

Alexandra Tomaz, José Migue Coleto Martinez + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1051/ctv/20153001009

Copy DOI

Abstract

In Mediterranean-type climates, increased irrigation efficiency is a key goal for viticulture, as it is for fruit production in general. The objective of the present study was to determine the responses of yield, berry composition, and wine quality to various degrees of irrigation supply and different soil management practices in a vineyard. Data were collected during two years from ‘Aragonez’ grapevines (Vitis vinifera L. syn. ‘Tempranillo’). The experimental site was located in a private vineyard in the Baixo Alentejo, southern Portugal. The vineyard is grown on vertisols, with drip irrigation. In the 4 ha area under study, a cover crop in the interrow was sown in half the plots, with the permanent resident vegetation maintained in the other half. The irrigation treatments were: high water availability (200 mm annual irrigation supply); moderate water availability (150 mm annual irrigation supply); deficit irrigation (100 mm annual irrigation supply); ultra-deficit irrigation (50 mm annual irrigation supply); rainfed. The deficit and ultra-deficit irrigation treatments were conducted in accordance with the Regulate Deficit Irrigation (RDI) strategy. The vine’s vegetative growth and yield responses influenced by irrigation in both years were: pruning weight, yield, and cluster weight. The quality responses were different in the two years of study: the grape composition parameters that showed significant differences were few and different each year; in wine composition, only in 2008 was the effect of irrigation on titratable acidity proven. Vegetative growth and yield were lower in the presence of the sown cover crop. The composition of grapes and wine was mostly affected by the surface cover in 2008, with the best performance for the phenolic compounds corresponding to plants growing on plots with permanent sown cover crop. The phenolic component in grapes benefited from the presence of the sown cover crop and the successful application of the RDI strategy.

Highlights

The grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) is considered a temperate region plant, but is adaptable to diverse weather conditions
With respect to the temporal variation of water storage in the interrows, we found that prior to the start of irrigation it evolved in the same way as that registered in the rows of both the irrigated and the rainfed treatments
The contribution of irrigation to the vineyard yield depends on the intra-annual distribution of the rainfall and its effectiveness in wetting the soil volume with the potential of contributing to the water supply to the vine

Summary

Introduction

The grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) is considered a temperate region plant, but is adaptable to diverse weather conditions. Climate is a key element in grape and wine quality. It is primarily responsible for much of the diversity of cultivars together with the variability, quality, and authenticity of the wines (Tonietto and Carbonneau, 2004; Deloire et al, 2005, Ojeda, 2007a). There will be an optimal performance for which the quality obtained is maximal. This model is valid for any qualitative parameter considered, such as sugar concentration, polyphenol content, aromatic potential, or fruit health (Ojeda, 2007b)

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion