Veraison Stage Research Articles

Assessing the grapevine crop water stress indicator over the flowering-veraison phase and the potential yield lose rate in important European wine regions

In Europe, most of vineyards are managed under rainfed conditions, where water deficit has become increasingly an issue. The flowering-veraison phenophase represents an important period for vine response to water stress, which is known to depend on variety characteristics, soil and climate conditions. In this paper, we have carried out a retrospective analysis for important European wine regions over 1986–2015, with objectives to assess the mean Crop Water Stress Indicator (CWSI) during flowering-veraison phase, and potential Yield Lose Rate (YLR) due to seasonal cumulative water stress. Moreover, we also investigate if advanced flowering-veraison phase can lead to alleviated CWSI under recent-past conditions, thus contributing to reduced YLR. A process-based grapevine model is employed, which has been extensively calibrated for simulating both flowering and veraison stages using location-specific observations representing 10 different varieties. Subsequently, grid-based modelling is implemented with gridded climate and soil datasets and calibrated phenology parameters. The findings suggest wine regions with higher mean CWSI of flowering-veraison phase tend to have higher potential YLR. However, contrasting patterns are found between wine regions in France-Germany-Luxembourg and Italy-Portugal-Spain. The former tends to have slight-to-moderate drought conditions (CWSI<0.5) along with a negligible-to-moderate YLR (<30%), whereas the latter is found to have severe-to-extreme drought (CWSI>0.5) and substantial YLR (>40%). Wine regions prone to a high drought risk (CWSI>0.75) are also identified, which are concentrated in southern Mediterranean Europe. Advanced flowering-veraison phase over 1986–2015, could have benefited from more spring precipitation and cooler temperatures for wine regions of Italy-Portugal-Spain, leading to reduced mean CWSI and YLR. For those of France-Germany-Luxembourg, this can have reduced flowering-veraison precipitation, but prevalent reductions of YLR are also found, possibly due to shifted phase towards a cooler growing-season with reduced evaporative demands. Our study demonstrates flowering-verasion water deficit is critical for potential yield, which can have different impacts between Central and Southern European wine regions. This phase can be advanced under a warmer climate, thus having important implications for European rainfed vineyards. The overall outcome may provide new insights for appropriate viticultural management of seasonal water deficits under climate change.

Comparative fungal diversity and dynamics in plant compartments at different developmental stages under root-zone restricted grapevines

BackgroundThe root-zone restriction cultivation technique is used to achieve superior fruit quality at the cost of limited vegetative and enhanced reproductive development of grapevines. Fungal interactions and diversity in grapevines are well established; however, our knowledge about fungal diversity under the root-zone restriction technique is still unexplored. To provide insights into the role of mycobiota in the regulation of growth and fruit quality of grapevine under root-zone restriction, DNA from rhizosphere and plant compartments, including white roots (new roots), leaves, flowers, and berries of root-zone restricted (treatment) and conventionally grown plants (control), was extracted at three growth stages (full bloom, veraison, and maturity).ResultsDiversity analysis based on the ITS1 region was performed using QIIME2. We observed that the root-zone restriction technique primarily affected the fungal communities of the soil and plant compartments at different growth stages. Interestingly, Fusarium, Ilyonectria, Cladosporium and Aspergillus spp observed in the rhizosphere overlapped with the phyllosphere at all phenological stages, having distinctive abundance in grapevine habitats. Peak richness and diversity were observed in the rhizosphere at the full bloom stage of control plants, white roots at the veraison stage of treatment, leaves at the maturity stage of treatment, flowers at the full bloom stage and berries at the veraison stage of control plants. Except for white roots, the diversity of soil and plant compartments of treated plants tended to increase until maturity. At the maturity stage of the treated and control plants, the abundance of Aspergillus spp. was 25.99 and 29.48%, respectively. Moreover, the total soluble sugar content of berries was 19.03 obrix and 16 obrix in treated and control plants, respectively, at the maturity stage.ConclusionsThis is the first elucidative study targeting the fungal diversity of conventional and root-restricted cultivation techniques in a single vineyard. Species richness and diversity are affected by stressful cultivation known as root zone restriction. There is an association between the abundance of Aspergillus spp. and fruit quality because despite causing stress to the grapevine, superior quality of fruit is retrieved in root-zone restricted plants.

Vineyard Fertilization Management for Iron Deficiency and Chlorosis Prevention on Carbonate Soil

Nitrogen fertilizer efficiency in grapevine production is an important objective for solving the trade-off between improving yield and quality in agroecosystems and reducing environmental impacts. Influence of soil nitrogen fertilization and Fe foliar application on iron dynamics in soil and grapevine leaves of the ‘Graševina’ cultivar on carbonate soil was conducted in a two-year study in 2018 and 2019. The experiment was settled in three replicates on a total of seven fertilization treatments that differed in used form of nitrogen fertilizer and foliar application of Fe before and after the flowering of the grapevine: control (C); calcium ammonium nitrate (KAN); calcium ammonium nitrate + foliar Fe (KAN+F); ammonium sulfate (AS); ammonium sulfate + foliar Fe (AS+F); ammonium sulfonitrate + foliar Fe (ASN+F); urea + foliar Fe (U+F). Mineral fertilization with acid-forming nitrogen fertilizers (AS and ASN) significantly affected local acidification of alkaline soil, i.e., reducing the actual and exchangeable soil pH reaction, which resulted in increased soil Fe availability. Despite the increase in soil iron availability, no increased iron bioaccumulation in the grapevine leaves was found in the flowering and veraison stages at treatments where foliar fertilization was omitted. Of all the observed treatments, only foliar fertilization had a positive effect on iron concentration in the grapevine leaves, which leads to the conclusion that this is an effective way to solve iron deficiency symptoms and chlorosis occurrence. The use of mineral fertilizers with acid-forming nitrogen fertilizers for many years can result in a reduction of required foliar treatments and thus significantly affect the ecological and economic aspects of grape production. Thus, integrated iron management is needed to meet the needs of the grapevine for this micronutrient and to reduce the occurrence of leaf chlorosis in carbonate soil.

Effect of new generation bio-regulators on anthocyanins and berry quality of grape cv. Beauty Seedless

Five-year-old grapevines of Beauty Seedless spaced at 3 m × 3 m distance and trained on the 'Bower' system were sprayed with different plant bioregulators, namely, abscisic acid (ABA: 200 and 400 ppm), ethephon (200 and 400 ppm), benzothiadiazole (BTH: 0.3 and 0.6 mM), prohexadione-calcium (Pro-Ca: 200 and 400 ppm) and control (water spray) at the veraison stage during 2019-20 with the aim of studying their influence on berry physical and biochemical characteristics. The experiment was conducted in the randomised block design with three replications for each treatment. Different berry physical characteristics like weight, length, diameter and firmness were positively influenced with the different treatments except for ethephon (400 ppm) and ABA (400 ppm) treatments, which reduced the berry firmness significantly. Berry biochemical parameters were positively improved by almost all the plant bioregulators, they were most pronounced with ethephon (400 ppm) and ABA (400 ppm). The most prominent effects of ABA and ethephon treatments were noted on the total anthocyanins biosynthesis in the berries, which is major bottleneck under the warm subtropical conditions in different coloured grape genotypes. Hence, application of new generation plant bioregulators such as BTH, Pro-Ca, ABA and ethephon resulted in improvement in berry quality parameters of cv. Beauty Seedless.

Effect of nitrogen regulation on berry quality and flavonoids during veraison stage.

Nitrogen regulation can effectively promote the improvement of berry components and the formation of flavor compounds in wine grapes. In order to understand the effects of foliar nitrogen spraying on grape quality and flavonoid substance, took Cabernet Sauvignon as the test subject, grape leaves were sprayed by ammonium sulfate, calcium ammonium nitrate, urea, phenylalanine, and glutamate during veraison, and clear water was used as the control. The results showed that spraying ammonium sulfate could improve the contents of soluble solids, anthocyanins, and total phenols of grape berries; spraying phenylalanine significantly increased the content of titratable acid and tannin and decreased the ratio of sugar to acid in grape berries; compared with the control group, spraying glutamate could significantly upregulate some flavonol monomers; spraying calcium ammonium nitrate can adjust the monomer content of some flavanols; urea spraying significantly increased the contents of most anthocyanins, flavanols, and flavonol and increased the contents of total anthocyanins, total flavanols, and total flavonol in grape skins, laying a foundation for the improvement of the nutritional value of grapes and wine in the future.

Investigating a Selection of Methods for the Prediction of Total Soluble Solids Among Wine Grape Quality Characteristics Using Normalized Difference Vegetation Index Data From Proximal and Remote Sensing.

The most common method for determining wine grape quality characteristics is to perform sample-based laboratory analysis, which can be time-consuming and expensive. In this article, we investigate an alternative approach to predict wine grape quality characteristics by combining machine learning techniques and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) data collected at different growth stages with non-destructive methods, such as proximal and remote sensing, that are currently used in precision viticulture (PV). The study involved several sets of high-resolution multispectral data derived from four sources, including two vehicle-mounted crop reflectance sensors, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-acquired data, and Sentinel-2 (S2) archived imagery to estimate grapevine canopy properties at different growth stages. Several data pre-processing techniques were employed, including data quality assessment, data interpolation onto a 100-cell grid (10 × 20 m), and data normalization. By calculating Pearson’s correlation matrix between all variables, initial descriptive statistical analysis was carried out to investigate the relationships between NDVI data from all proximal and remote sensors and the grape quality characteristics in all growth stages. The transformed dataset was then ready and applied to statistical and machine learning algorithms, firstly trained on the data distribution available and then validated and tested, using linear and nonlinear regression models, including ordinary least square (OLS), Theil–Sen, and the Huber regression models and Ensemble Methods based on Decision Trees. Proximal sensors performed better in wine grapes quality parameters prediction in the early season, while remote sensors during later growth stages. The strongest correlations with the sugar content were observed for NDVI data collected with the UAV, Spectrosense+GPS (SS), and the CropCircle (CC), during Berries pea-sized and the Veraison stage, mid-late season with full canopy growth, for both years. UAV and SS data proved to be more accurate in predicting the sugars out of all wine grape quality characteristics, especially during a mid-late season with full canopy growth, in Berries pea-sized and the Veraison growth stages. The best-fitted regressions presented a maximum coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.61.

Metabolomic profile combined with transcriptomic analysis reveals the value of UV-C in improving the utilization of waste grape berries

Table grape is a popular fruit worldwide. The quality of the appearance of table grapes directly affects their commercial value. Table grape bunches are usually carefully managed during production. At different developmental stages, a large number of grape berries are pruned as waste for commercial appearance, which leads to wasted resources. Ultraviolet-C (UV-C) can regulate the accumulation of secondary metabolites in fruits. In this study, metabolomic profile was combined with transcriptomic analysis technology to explore the value of UV-C in improving the utilization of waste grapes. The berries of the 'Jumeigui' grape were subjected to UV-C radiation treatment in the green-berry stage, veraison stage, and maturation stage. The results showed that UV-C could brown grape berries and decrease their sugar content at different developmental stages. Compared with other samples, those treated with UV-C in the veraison stage had the most upregulated metabolites, while samples in the green-berry stage had the most down-regulated metabolites. UV-C promoted the accumulation of stilbenes and some flavonoids in the berries at each developmental stage (especially at the green-berry and veraison stages). Compared with other stages, UV-C treatment during the veraison stage led to the highest number of upregulated genes related to transcription factors, protein modification, indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), abscisic acid (ABA), gibberellin acid (GA), receptor kinases, and Ascorbic acid/Glutathione (Ascorb/Gluath). UV-C might promote the accumulation of phenolic components by upregulating the expression of their biosynthesis related genes. UV-C may be an effective in vitro approach for improving the application value of waste grape berries by enhancing the accumulation of the nutritious phenolic components.

Untargeted Metabolomics and Antioxidant Capacities of Muscadine Grape Genotypes during Berry Development.

Three muscadine grape genotypes (Muscadinia rotundifolia (Michx.) Small) were evaluated for their metabolite profiling and antioxidant activities at different berry developmental stages. A total of 329 metabolites were identified using UPLC-TOF-MS analysis (Ultimate 3000LC combined with Q Exactive MS and screened with ESI-MS) in muscadine genotypes throughout different developmental stages. Untargeted metabolomics study revealed the dominant chemical groups as amino acids, organic acids, sugars, and phenolics. Principal component analysis indicated that developmental stages rather than genotypes could explain the variations among the metabolic profiles of muscadine berries. For instance, catechin, epicatechin-3-gallate, and gallic acid were more accumulated in ripening seeds (RIP-S). However, tartaric acid and malonic acid were more abundant during the fruit-set (FS) stage, and malic acid was more abundant in the veraison (V) stage. The variable importance in the projection (VIP > 0.5) in partial least-squares–discriminant analysis described 27 biomarker compounds, representing the muscadine berry metabolome profiles. A heatmap of Pearson’s correlation analysis between the 27 biomarker compounds and antioxidant activities was able to identify nine antioxidant determinants; among them, gallic acid, 4-acetamidobutanoic acid, trehalose, catechine, and epicatechin-3-gallate displayed the highest correlations with different types of antioxidant activities. For instance, DPPH and FRAP conferred a similar antioxidant activity pattern and were highly correlated with gallic acid and 4-acetamidobutanoic acid. This comprehensive study of the metabolomics and antioxidant activities of muscadine berries at different developmental stages is of great reference value for the plant, food, pharmaceutical, and nutraceutical sectors.

Remote and Proximal Sensing-Derived Spectral Indices and Biophysical Variables for Spatial Variation Determination in Vineyards

Remote-sensing measurements are crucial for smart-farming applications, crop monitoring, and yield forecasting, especially in fields characterized by high heterogeneity. Therefore, in this study, Precision Viticulture (PV) methods using proximal- and remote-sensing technologies were exploited and compared in a table grape vineyard to monitor and evaluate the spatial variation of selected vegetation indices and biophysical variables throughout selected phenological stages (multi-seasonal data), from veraison to harvest. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index and the Normalized Difference Red-Edge Index were calculated by utilizing satellite imagery (Sentinel-2) and proximal sensing (active crop canopy sensor Crop Circle ACS-470) to assess the correlation between the outputs of the different sensing methods. Moreover, numerous vegetation indices and vegetation biophysical variables (VBVs), such as the Modified Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index, the Normalized Difference Water Index, the Fraction of Vegetation Cover, and the Fraction of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation, were calculated, using the satellite data. The vegetation indices analysis revealed different degrees of correlation when using diverse sensing methods, various measurement dates, and different parts of the cultivation. The results revealed the usefulness of proximal- and remote-sensing-derived vegetation indices and variables and especially of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index and Fraction of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation in the monitoring of vineyard condition and yield examining, since they were demonstrated to have a very high degree of correlation (coefficient of determination was 0.87). The adequate correlation of the vegetation indices with the yield during the latter part of the veraison stage provides valuable information for the future estimation of production in broader areas.

Impact of Methyl Jasmonate, Abscissic Acid and Ethephon on the Consistency of Flame Seedless Grapes Pre-harvest and Post-harvest

Berry color development of Flame Seedless grapes is considered one of the main maturity indices. Achieved the requested color at harvest is one of the main problems of Flame Seedless because berries fail to reach the requested level of red color. So, an experiment was carried out on Flame Seedless vines in a private vineyard in the governorate of Sharkia, Egypt. Bunches were sprayed with one of the following five treatments, 0 mg/l (as a control treatment), Methyle Jasmonate at 0.046 %, Ethephon at 0.24 g/l and at 0.14 g/l, Ethephon at 0.24 g/l + ABA at 0.015% and Ethephon at 0.24 g/l + Methyle Jasmonate at 0.046 %. The single treatments were sprayed at veraison stage while the combined treatments were sprayed at veraison stage and then 5 days later. The combined treatment of (Ethephon + Methyle Jasmonate) was the best treatment, compared control treatment in both seasons, it improves berry color and increases the packable yield at the first harvest. The same treatment significantly increased anthocyanin content and total soluble solids percentage as well as TSS/acid ratio compared with control treatment in both seasons, respectively. Therefore, the combination between Ethephon and Methyle Jasmonate surpassed the other tested treatments in improving berry color and improving berry quality at harvest time. Moreover, the combined treatments with either Ethephon + Methyle Jasmonate was more effective in improving berry coloration and quality than Methyle Jasmonate individually.

Effect of Gibberellic acid and Jasmine oil on yield and fruit quality of king ruby seedless grape cultivar

This experiment was carried out during two seasons of 2018 and 2019 on 25 years old grapevines of Ruby Seedless cultivar. Head training system was applied by leaving 36 buds per vine (18 fruiting spurs x 2 buds). Eight treatments of GA3 and jasmine oil as a single treatment or combined were evaluated. The experiment aimed to examine the effect of GA3 and jasmine oil on improving yield and berry quality of Ruby Seedless grape cultivar. The studied treatments increased the yield, cluster and berry weight. The best treatment in this term was spraying with GA3 at 20 ppm when berry size about 3 mm plus jasmine oil at 1.5 cm3/liter at the beginning of the veraison stage while the control vines gave the lowest values among all treatments. Jasmine oil as a single treatment was the best treatment in respect of TSS%, acidity, TSS/TA ratio and reducing sugars among all treatments. This study concluded that the beneficial effects of spraying jasmine oil at veraison stage as single or in combined with GA3 at 20 ppm when berry size about 3 mm to increase yield, berry and cluster weight and improving berry quality of Ruby Seedless grape cultivar The studied treatments increased the yield, cluster and berry weight. The best treatment in this term was spraying GA3 at 20 ppm when berry size about 3 mm plus jasmine oil 1.5 cm3 at the beginning of the veraison stage while the control vines gave the lowest values among all treatments. Jasmine oil as single treatment was the best treatment in respect of TSS%, acidity, TSS/TA ratio and reducing sugars among all treatments. This study concluded that the beneficial effects of spraying jasmine oil at veraison stage as single or in combined with GA3 at 20 ppm when berry size about 3 mm to increased yield, berry and cluster weight and improving berry quality of Ruby Seedless grape cultivar. Keywords: Grape, Ruby Seedless, Jasmine oil, Gibberellic acid

Study of the Cluster Thinning Grape as a Source of Phenolic Compounds and Evaluation of Its Antioxidant Potential.

Thinning is a common viticulture practice in warm climates, and it is applied to increase the quality of the harvest. Thinning clusters are usually discarded, and they are considered another oenological industry waste. To valorize this by-product, the phenolic content and antioxidant activity of three red varieties (Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah), thinned at three different times between veraison and harvest, were studied: the first at the beginning of the veraison stage, in a low ripening stage; the second in an intermediate ripening stage; and, finally, the third sampling in the highest ripening stage. These by-products showed high values of total phenolic contents (10.66–11.75 mg gallic acid equivalent/g), which is of the same order as or even higher than that found in grape pomace. In thinned grape were identified 24 phenolic compounds, being the flavan-3-ols (catechin and epicatechin) of particular interest, with mean contents ranging from 105.1 to 516.4 mg/kg of thinned grape. Antioxidant activity similar to that of the vintage grape was found. It is concluded that thinned grape is a good source of phenolic compounds. Its content does not depend mainly on the grape variety; however, it has been possible to establish differences based on the maturity stage of the thinning grapes: the intermediate ripeness stage, with a Brix degree in the range of 15–16 for this area, would be the optimum collection time for cluster thinning. In this intermediate ripeness stage, thinning grapes present a higher antioxidant activity and there is also appreciable anthocyanin content, which is not found for the lowest ripeness stage, since these samples present an intermediate composition in all the families of determined phenolic compounds: anthocyanins, flavonols, flavan-3-ols, cinnamic acids, and benzoic acids. It is important to note that the experiments in this study have been carried out with whole tinned grapes, without separating the skin or the seeds.

Transcriptomics Integrated with Free and Bound Terpenoid Aroma Profiling during "Shine Muscat" (Vitis labrusca × V. vinifera) Grape Berry Development Reveals Coordinate Regulation of MEP Pathway and Terpene Synthase Gene Expression.

Terpenes and their derivatives are important biomarkers of grape quality as they contribute to the flavor and aroma of grapes. However, the molecular basis of terpene biosynthesis throughout the grapevine phenological developmental cycle remains elusive. Our current study investigates the free and bound terpene biosynthesis of berries at different phenological stages from preveraison to harvest. Detailed gene expression (transcriptomics) analysis, terpenoid volatile production by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and in planta transient expression were employed. Our results show that concentrations of most individual terpenes at different stages are distinctive and increase from preveraison to the veraison stage followed by a decrease from veraison to maturity. The combined transcriptomic analysis and terpene profiling revealed that 22 genes belonging to the MEP pathway and multiple classes of transcription factor family members including bHLH and several hormone biosynthesis- or signaling-related genes likely participate in the regulation of terpenoid biosynthesis according to their specific expression patterns in berries. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain expression analysis of 8 key differentially expressed genes in MEP pathways and further 12 randomly selected genes was performed during 8 sampling stages and validated the RNA-seq-derived expression profiles. To further confirm the function of a subset of the differentially expressed genes, we investigated the effects of combined overexpression of 1-deoxy-d-xylulose-5-phosphate synthase (VvDXS1-LOC100249323), 1-deoxy-d-xylulose-5-phosphate reductoisomerase (VvDXR-LOC100248516), and terpene synthase (VvTPS56-LOC100266449) on the production of terpenes by transient overexpression in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves. The overall developmental patterns of total terpenes and gene expression profiles will help guide the functional analyses of further candidate genes important for terpene biosynthesis of grape as well as identifying the master transcriptional and hormonal regulators of this pathway in the future.

Bacterial community dynamics varies with soil management and irrigation practices in grapevines (Vitis vinifera L.)

Plant-associated bacterial communities are important contributors towards plant health and productivity, and are increasingly acknowledged for having the potential to alter plants' response to climate extremes, such as drought. Viticulture is generally conducted in areas that are prone to seasonal water deficit, and irrigation is the common way to counter this. In addition, soil conservation measures, such as cover cropping and no-tillage, are increasingly used. However, the effect of these management practices, in particular in viticulture, on soil bacterial communities remains unclear. Therefore, the objective was to examine the effect of irrigation and tillage on shaping soil bacterial communities associated with different grapevine cultivars, at different plant phenological stages.We conducted an experiment whereby we examined the soil bacterial community of three Vitis vinifera L. (grapevine) cultivars (two indigenous and one international, grown at different locations in the same vineyard) under different management practices (irrigated and non-irrigated, tillage and no-tillage). Since there is evidence that plant phenology can also affect soil microbial communities, we sampled soil at three different plant developmental stages (flowering, veraison and harvest).Soil bacterial communities primarily correlated with cultivar and location. At harvest we observed a link between bacterial communities and grape quality and yield measures and at all stages with soil physicochemical properties. A number of taxa were enriched in one or two cultivars, but these were generally in low abundance in our dataset. We also found an effect of plant phenology and management practices within each cultivar. For the two indigenous cultivars, soil bacterial communities at the flowering stage were most distinct, while for the international cultivar it was at the veraison stage. However, for all three cultivars, this effect differed by tillage treatment: bacterial communities in the tillage treatment varied by plant phenology, but in the no-tillage treatment less difference was observed, suggesting a buffering effect. While irrigation did lead to changes in bacterial communities, the effect was not as strong as that of the other factors.Our results show that soil bacterial communities in grapevines are shaped by both plant-associated effects (i.e. cultivar and plant phenological stage) and environmental variables (i.e. soil management and soil physicochemical properties), and importantly, that these factors have an interactive effect. Future research on soil bacterial communities in grapevines should take this variability into account, as well as focusing on its functional implications.

Effect of Spraying Paclobutrazol (PP333) on Yield and Fruit Quality of Crimson Seedless Grape

Six concentrations of Paclobutrazol (PP333) were experimented (0, 10, 30, 60, 90, 120 ppm) as foliar spray on three years old Crimson seedless grape vines grown in private orchard at El Qattah, Giza Governorate, Egypt to find out its influence on yield and a fruit quality. The mentioned treatments were conducted at veraison stage in compare to the traditional treatment with Ethrel. The cluster weight, total yield/vine, 100 berries weight, berry firmness, total acidity, TSS, TSS/acid ratio and total anthocyanine content were measured. The results referred to an ascending increase in anthocyanine content and a reduction in acidity % went in parallel to Paclobutrazol concentrations increase. Spraying of 10 ppm of PP333 led to a significant increase in berry weight whereas120 ppm concentration achieved the highest TSS/acid ratio.

Brassinosteroid Regulates 3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl CoA Reductase to Promote Grape Fruit Development.

Brassinosteroids (BRs) are known to regulate plant growth and development. However, only little is known about their mechanism in the regulation of berry development in grapes. This study demonstrates that BR treatment enhances the accumulation of fruit sugar components, reduces the content of organic acids (e.g., tartaric acid), promotes coloration, and increases the anthocyanin content in grape berries at the onset of the veraison, half veraison, and full veraison stages at the rate of 0.0998, 0.0560, and 0.0281 mg·g-1, respectively. In addition, BR treatment was also found to accelerate the biosynthesis of terpenoid aroma components, such as α-pinene, d-limonene, and γ-terpinene, which influence the aromatic composition of grapes. BRs can negatively regulate the expression of VvHMGR, a key gene involved in the mevalonate (MVA) pathway, and reduce the activity of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl CoA reductase (HMGR). Inhibiting the expression of HMGR promoted the accumulation of anthocyanins and fruit coloration. Meanwhile, after the inhibition, the contents of auxin indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), abscisic acid (ABA), and brassinosteroid (BR) increased, while gibberellin (GA3) and zeatin riboside (ZR) decreased, and its aromatic composition also changed. Therefore, it may be concluded that BRs inhibited HMGR activity and cooperated with VvHMGR to regulate the formation of color, aroma, and other quality characteristics in fruits.

Community succession of the grapevine fungal microbiome in the annual growth cycle.

Microbial ecology and activity in wine production influences grapevine health and productivity, conversion of sugar to ethanol during fermentation, wine aroma, wine quality and distinctiveness. Fungi in the vineyard ecosystem are not well described. Here, we characterized the spatial and temporal dynamics of fungal communities associated with the grapevine (grapes, flowers, leaves, and roots) and soils over an annual growth cycle in two vineyards to investigate the influences of grape habitat, plant developmental stage (flowering, fruit set, veraison, and harvest), vineyards, and climatic conditions. Fungi were influenced by both the grapevine habitat and plant development stage. The core microbiome was prioritized over space and time, and the identified core members drove seasonal community succession. The developmental stage of veraison, where the grapes undergo a dramatic change in metabolism and start accumulating sugar, coincided with a distinct shift in fungal communities. Co-occurrence networks showed strong correlations between the plant microbiome, the soil microbiome, and weather indices. Our study describes the complex ecological dynamics that occur in microbial assemblages over a growing season and highlight succession of the core community in vineyards.

α-Glucosidase Inhibitory Activity of Tannat Grape Phenolic Extracts in Relation to Their Ripening Stages

The present study aimed to screen grape extracts as novel α-glucosidase inhibitors to prevent type-2 diabetes and hyperglycemia. The total polyphenol content (TPC) was measured by Folin-Ciocalteu assay and the stilbene, anthocyanin and flavan-3-ol compounds were measured by Ultra High-Performance Liquid Chromatography coupled to Mass Spectrometry (UHPLC-MS). The α-glucosidase inhibitory of seed and skin Tannat grape extracts at four ripening stages were investigated. The highest TPC values were measured in seeds at the “veraison stage” (65.29 ± 5.33 g of Gallic Acid Equivalent (GAE) per kilogram of Fresh Weight (FW)). This was in accordance with the high flavan-3-ol contents measured for these two extracts (43.22 ± 2.59 and 45.45 ± 6.48 g/kg of seeds FW, respectively). The skin and seed extracts at the first stage of ripening exerted strong α-glucosidase inhibition, exceeding 95% (p < 0.05). A high linear correlation (R = 0.723, p ≤ 0.05) was observed between flavan-3-ol contents and the α-glucosidase inhibitory activity. The stilbene contents and this activity were moderately to strongly anti-correlated (R = –0.828, p ≤ 0.05 for trans-resveratrol). The enzyme kinetic studies revealed a mixed type of inhibition. This study brings promising results for the therapeutic potential of seed and skin Tannat grape extracts as a functional food product with anti-diabetic activity.

Pre-harvest application of methyl jasmonate for improving nutritional quality of Pusa Navrang grape (Vitis vinifera)

The effect of pre-harvest application of Methyl Jasmonate (MeJA) on berry quality, flavonoid content and antioxidant capacity in grapes (Vitis vinifera L.) cv. Pusa Navrang were studied under subtropical conditions of New Delhi. Different doses of MeJA (0, 5, 10, 15 mM) were applied at three different dates. There were no significant differences were recorded for bunch and berry weight. Grapes treated with MeJA had slightly higher soluble solid content, lower titratable acids than untreated berries. Methyl jasmonate significantly enhanced the content of total monomeric anthocyanins, total phenolics, flavonoids and the antioxidant capacities in the berries. These were found significantly different for dose of methyl jasmonate and time of application. In general, when MeJA(10 mM) applied at veraison stage was found most effective for improving the berry bioactive compounds and had significantly higher total monomeric anthocyanin (1434.43 C3GE mg/kg fresh berry weight), total phenolic content (504.58 mg/100 g), total flavonoid content and antioxidant activity measured in terms of DPPH.

Functional Characterization of VvSK Gene Family in Grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) Revealing their Role in Berry Ripening.

The glycogen synthase kinase 3/shaggy kinase (GSK3) is a serine/threonine kinase that plays important roles in brassinosteroid signaling, abiotic stress responses, cell division, and elongation, etc. In this study, we characterized seven grape GSK3 genes, showing high similarities with homologs from other species including Arabidopsis, white pear, apple, orange, and peach. Gene chip microarray data derived from an online database revealed very diverse developmental and tissue-specific expression patterns of VvSKs. VvSK3 and VvSK7 showed much higher expression levels in almost every tissue compared with other members. VvSK7 was highly enriched in young tissues like berries before the veraison stage, young leaves and green stems, etc., but immediately downregulated after these tissues entered maturation or senescence phases. Prediction of cis-elements in VvSK promoters indicated that VvSKs might be sensitive to light stimulation, which is further confirmed by the qPCR data. Constitutive overexpression of VvSK7 in Arabidopsis leads to dwarf plants that resembles BR-deficient mutants. The photosynthetic rate was significantly reduced in these plants, even though they accumulated more chlorophyll in leaves. Transient overexpression of VvSKs in tomatoes delayed the fruit ripening process, consistent with the observation in grapevine which blocks VvSKs by EBR- or BIKININ-promoted berry expansion and soluble solids accumulation. Data presented in the current study may serve as a theoretical basis for the future application of BRs or related compounds in quality grape production.