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…

Decline of rootstock-mediated physiological responses in Tempranillo grapevines by prolonged extreme conditions

Agriculture faces many global warming challenges especially in the Mediterranean region. Many strategies have been proposed in viticulture to manage global warming. Rootstocks are among them since they may affect water uptake and the scion’s performance.
The study conducted in La Rioja, Spain, aimed to investigate the impact of different rootstocks (1103P and 161-49C) on the performance of the Tempranillo grapevine scion over a three-day cycles under drought and extreme conditions, specifically during a heatwave in July 2022, with maximum air temperatures up to 40ºC and average daily temperatures of 29.1ºC.

Estimating grapevine crop coefficients at high-resolution using open-source satellite data

Climate change results in increasing water stress due to co-effects of rising evapotranspiration (ET) and decreased precipitation over the past 65 years (Spinoni et al. 2019).

Development of the geographic indication vale do São Francisco for tropical wines in Brazil

Aim: Geographical Indications-GI are commonly used to protect territorial products around the world, such as cheese and wine. This qualification is useful because it improves the producer’s organization, protects and valorizes the distinct origin and quality of the product, increases recognition and notoriety, and adds value for products. Tropical wines are mainly produced in Brazil, India,

Typicité et terroir : importance relative du type de sol et du niveau de maturité dans la typologie sensorielle du vin

Le lien fonctionnel entre typicité et terroir a été étudié en prenant en compte deux dimensions importantes : le type de sol et la date de vendanges. Ces deux facteurs sont, à des degrés divers

Defining gene regulation and co-regulation at single cell resolution in grapevine

Conventional molecular analyses provide bulk genomic/transcriptomic data that are unable to reveal the cellular heterogeneity and to precisely define how gene networks orchestrate organ development. We will profile gene expression and identify open chromatin regions at the individual cells level, allowing to define cell-type specific regulatory elements, developmental trajectories and transcriptional networks orchestrating organ development and function. We will perform scRNA-seq and snATAC-seq on leaf/berry protoplasts and nuclei and combine them with the leaf/berry bulk tissues obtained results, where the analysis of transcripts, chromatin accessibility, histone modification and transcription factor binding sites showed that a large fraction of phenotypic variation appears to be determined by regulatory rather than coding variation and that many variants have an organ-specific effect.