Terroir 2004 banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 Partial rootzone drying (PRD): strategic irrigation management as viticultural tool affecting plant physiology and berry quality

Partial rootzone drying (PRD): strategic irrigation management as viticultural tool affecting plant physiology and berry quality

Abstract

Partial rootzone drying (PRD) is an irrigation management technique designed to reduce water use in grapevines without a decline in yield, thereby increasing water use efficiency (WUE). The principle of PRD is to keep part of the root system at a constant drying rate to produce soil derived signals to above-ground plant organs to induce a physiological response resulting in viticultural effects. Major PRD effects include a reduced canopy size and greatly increased WUE with possible improvements in fruit quality. Experiments conducted under Australian conditions consisted of field-grown grapevines irrigated at variable rates to elucidate a true PRD effect. The effects of PRD on the assimilation and partitioning of C and N in grapevines are reported and the sustainability and economic potential of the PRD system are discussed. Major findings include the effects of PRD on grapevine physiology on the biochemical level where the source:sink relationship between plant organs influences dry matter accumulation and nitrogen assimilation that will influence fertilization needs. Finally, the effects of PRD on berry growth and quality are discussed, especially the accumulation of hexose, amino acids and inorganic ions such as K+, that may have an influence on wine quality.

DOI:

Publication date: January 12, 2022

Issue: Terroir 2004

Type: Article

Authors

Gerhard du Toit

Department of Viticulture and Oenology, Institute for Wine Biotechnology, Stellenbosch University, Victoria Street, ZA 7600 Stellenbosch, South Africa

Contact the author

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Terroir 2004

Citation

Related articles…

Impact of acidification by fumaric acid at vatting on Cabernet-Sauvignon wine during winemaking

Acidity of grape berries is lowered due to climate changes (1), resulting in musts and wines with higher pHs. These higher pHs induce microbiological instability

Environmental influence on grape phenolic and aromatic compounds in a Nebbiolo selection (Vitis vinifera L.)

Nebbiolo (Vitis vinifera L.) is one of the most important wine red cultivar of North-west Italy. A better understanding of the complex relations among grape aromatic and phenolic maturity and environmental factors may strongly contribute to the improvement of the quality of Nebbiolo wines.

Investigating the impact of bottle color, temperature and light exposure on rose wine characteristics

Rosé is leading the fastest growth wine category which hit a 40% increase since 2002. France accounts for over a third (34%) of global consumption followed by the US

Towards a European data basis based of advanced multi-isotopic signatures and artificial intelligence: the wine in blue project

Major and trace elements are essential for the development of grapes used for the wine. They are primarily originating from the soil. Some elements are also seldomly added during the wine making process. Therefore, the largest spectrum of major, trace and ultra-trace elements in the final wine product is a good signature of its geographical origin. In the frame of the European tracewindu, we have developed a very original multi-isotopic dilution method using triple quadrupole icp/ms.

Autochthonous non-Saccharomyces extra-cellular metabolism of tryptophan, tyrosine, and phenylalanine

Amino acids are crucial nitrogen sources in yeast metabolism, influencing both biomass production and fermentation rate. The breakdown byproducts of amino acids contribute to the aroma of the wine and wine’s health benefit compounds. This study focused on the yeast’s extracellular metabolic profile of tryptophan, tyrosine, and phenylalanine belonging to the group of aromatic amino acids in experimental Maraština wines. Alcoholic fermentations were conducted on sterile grape Maraština must using seven autochthonous non-Saccharomyces yeasts in sequential fermentation with commercial Saccharomyces cerevisiae.