terclim by ICS banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 Amino nitrogen content in grapes: the impact of crop limitation

Amino nitrogen content in grapes: the impact of crop limitation

Abstract

Read full article on OENO One

As an essential element for grapevine development and yield, nitrogen is also involved in the winemaking process and largely affects wine composition. Grape must amino nitrogen deficiency affects the alcoholic fermentation kinetics and alters the development of wine aroma precursors. It is therefore essential to control and optimize nitrogen use efficiency by the plant to guarantee suitable grape nitrogen composition at harvest. Understanding the impact of environmental conditions and cultural practices on the plant nitrogen metabolism would allow us to better orientate our technical choices with the objective of quality and sustainability (less inputs, higher efficiency). This trial focuses on the impact of crop limitation – that is a common practice in European viticulture – on nitrogen distribution in the plant and particularly on grape nitrogen composition. A wide gradient of crop load was set up in a homogeneous plot of Chasselas (Vitis vinifera) in the experimental vineyard of Agroscope, Switzerland. Dry weight and nitrogen dynamics were monitored in the roots, trunk, canopy and grapes, during two consecutive years, using a 15N-labeling method. Grape amino nitrogen content was assessed in both years, at veraison and at harvest. The close relationship between fruits and roots in the maintenance of plant nitrogen balance was highlighted. Interestingly, grape nitrogen concentration remained unchanged regardless of crop load to the detriment of the growth and nitrogen content of the roots. Meanwhile, the size and the nitrogen concentration of the canopy were not affected. Leaf gas exchange rates were reduced in response to lower yield conditions, reducing carbon and nitrogen assimilation and increasing intrinsic water use efficiency. The must amino nitrogen profiles could be discriminated as a function of crop load. These findings demonstrate the impact of plant balance on grape nitrogen composition and contribute to the improvement of predictive models and sustainable cultural practices in perennial crops.

DOI:

Publication date: May 31, 2022

Issue: Terclim 2022

Type: Article

Authors

Thibaut Verdenal1, Ágnes Dienes-Nagy1, Vivian Zufferey1, Jean-Laurent Spring1, Jorge E. Spangenberg2, Olivier Viret3and Cornelis van Leeuwen4

1Agroscope Institute, Pully, Switzerland
2Institute of Earth Surface Dynamics, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
3Direction générale de l’agriculture, de la viticulture et des affaires vétérinaires, Morges, Switzerland
4EGFV, Univ. Bordeaux, Bordeaux Sciences Agro, INRAE, ISVV, Villenave d’Ornon, France

Contact the author

Keywords

crop thinning, nitrogen use efficiency, yeast assimilable nitrogen, amino acids, partitioning, reserve mobilization

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Terclim 2022

Citation

Related articles…

Methyl Jasmonate Versus Nano-Methyl Jasmonate: Effect On The Stilbene Content In Monastrell Variety

Stilbenes, a kind of non-flavonoid phenolic compounds, have been reported to be responsible for various beneficial effects. Their biological properties include antibacterial and antifungal effects, as well as cardioprotective, neuroprotective and anticancer actions (Guerrero et al. 2009).Several strategies can be used to increase stilbene content in grapes and one of them could be the use of elicitors such as methyl jasmonate. The use of this elicitor has been proven to be efficient in the production of secondary metabolites which increases the quality of wines, but its use also has some drawbacks such as its low water solubility, high volatility, and its expensive cost (Gil-Muñoz et al. 2021).

Read More

Fertility assessment in Vitis vinifera L., cv. Alvarinho

The Portuguese wine production is characterized by wide yield fluctuations, causing considerable implications in the economic performance of this sector. The possibility of predicting the yield in advance is crucial as it enables preliminary planning and management of the available resources. The present work aims to study and evaluate two different techniques for the assessment of vine fertility. vineyards.

Read More

Water and physiological response to early leaf removal of cv. Verdejo in rainfed conditions, at different times of the day, in the D.O. Rueda (Spain)

Aim: Early leaf removal, generally applied before flowering, is mostly conceived as a technique to control grape yield and improve the health of grapes and focused on the final objective of increasing wine quality.

Read More

Entomopathogenic nematodes application for controlling Lobesia botrana in grapevine and their impact on grapevine quality 

Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPN) are well-known biological control agents combined with specific adjuvants that now allow their use against aerial pests. Lobesia botrana (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) is one of the major harmful pests detected in worldwide vineyards. Previous studies demonstrated that the EPNs Steinernema feltiae and S. carpocapsae could control L. botrana. The hypothesis was that the best combination of EPN-adjuvant/timing (season/temperatures) will support the use of EPN in the vineyard against L. botrana with no impact on the grape performance.

Read More

Polyphenol content examination of Tokaji Aszú wines

We must state that two conditions above are only prevalent in the case when the processed grapes are full or over ripened, besides following the Tokaj wines preparation criterions (grape variety, soil, microclimate, vintage, etc.). These two conditions mentioned before were followed up only sensory based analysis up to now, altough the study of chemical idetified compounds which confirms these are obviuos.

Read More