Macrowine 2021
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 An excessive leaf-fruit ratio reduces the yeast assimilable nitrogen in the must

An excessive leaf-fruit ratio reduces the yeast assimilable nitrogen in the must

Abstract

Yeast assimilable nitrogen (YAN) in the grape must is a key variable for wine quality as a source of aroma precursors. In a situation of YAN deficiency, a foliar urea application upon the vine at veraison enhances YAN concentration and facilitates must fermentation. In 2013, Agroscope investigated the impact of leaf-fruit ratio on the nitrogen (N) assimilation and partitioning in grapevine Vitis vinifera cv. Chasselas following foliar-urea application with the aim of improving its efficiency on the YAN concentration. Two factors, canopy height with two levels (90 and 140 cm), and crop load with two levels (§§5 and 10 clusters per vine), were combined in a split plot trial (5 vines per treatment). All treatments received 20 kg/ha of 15N-labelled foliar urea (10 atom% 15N) at veraison. An extra 5-vine control treatment (150-cm canopy and 5 bunches per vine) received no foliar urea. As a result, the leaf-fruit ratio had a strong impact on the grape maturity at harvest and on the labelled-N partitioning after urea application. The YAN varied from 143 ± 17 mg/L when the leaf-fruit ratio was 1.6 m2/kg (light-exposed leaf area / fruit quantity), up to 230 ± 25 mg/L when the leaf-fruit ratio was 0.4 m2/kg. The grapes were the strongest sink of all the vine organs, with more than 20 % of their total organic N originating from the urea treatment. Whereas a too small leaf-fruit ratio affected the grape maturity and the accumulation of labelled N in the reserve organs, a large canopy induced a diminution of the total N concentration (% dry weight) in all organs comparable to a “dilution” in the plant. Thus a balanced leaf-fruit ratio – between 1 and 1.5 m2/kg – should be maintained in order to guarantee the grape maturity, the accumulation of YAN in the must and the storage of N in the reserve organs. This study fosters further research at the isotopic molecular level to unravel other mechanisms controlling the source-sink relationship and the specific N partitioning between grapevine organs.

Publication date: April 4, 2024

Issue: Macrowine 2016

Type: Poster

Authors

Thibaut Verdenal* 

*Agroscope

Contact the author

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Macrowine | Macrowine 2016

Citation

Related articles…

Pesticide removal in wine with a physical treatment by molecular sieving

All along the winemaking process, conditioning and aging, wine is susceptible to be contaminated by different molecules. Contaminations can have various origins, related to wine microorganisms or as a result of an exogenous contamination. The aforementioned contamination of the wine can be caused by the migration of molecules from the materials in contact with the wine or by a contamination from exogenous molecules present in the air. Regardless of the source of the contamination, mainly two types of consequences can be observed.

Elicitors used as a tool to increase stilbenes in grapes and wines

The economic importance of grapevine as a crop plant makes Vitis vinífera a good model system to study the improvement of the nutraceutical properties of food products (Vezulli et al. 2007). Stilbenes in general, and trans-resveratrol in particular, have been reported to be responsible for various beneficial effects. Resveratrol´s biological properties include antibacteria and antifungal effects, as well as cardioprotective, neuroprotective and anticâncer actions (Guerrero et al. 2010 ). Stilbenes can be induced by biotic and abiotic elicitors since they are phytoalexins (Bavaresco et al. 2001).

Oak wood seasoning: impact on oak wood chemical composition and sensory quality of wine

Oak wood selection and maturation are essential steps in the course of barrel fabrication. Given the existence of many factors involved in the choice of raw material and in natural seasoning of oak wood, it is very difficult to determine the real impact of seasoning and selection factors on oak wood composition. A sampling was done to study the evolution of oak wood chemical composition during four seasoning steps: non matured, 12 months, 18 months and 24 months. For this sampling, three selection factors were taken into account: age, grain type and the Polyphenolic Index measured by Oakscan®. Besides extractables
(~10%), three polymers constitute the main part of oak wood: cellulose, hemicelluloses and lignins.

Microbial stabilization of wines using innovative coiled UV-C reactor process: impact on chemical and organoleptic proprieties

For several years, numerous studies aimed at limiting the use of SO2 in wines (thermal treatments, pulsed electric fields, microwaves …). Processes must be able to preserve the organoleptic qualities of wines with low energy consumption. In this context, ultraviolet radiations (UV-C), at 254 nm, are well known for their germicidal proprieties. In order to inactivate microorganisms in grape juice and wine without affecting the quality of the product, efficiency of UV-C treatment process should be optimized.

Effect of mixed Torulaspora delbrueckii-Saccharomyces cerevisiae culture on rose quality wine

Alcoholic fermentation using no Saccharomyces wine is an effective means of modulating wine aroma. This study investigated the impact of coinoculating Torulaspora delbruecki with two Saccharomyces cerevisiae commercial yeast (QA23, Lallemand; Red Fruit, Sepsa-Enartis) on enological quality parameters, volatile composition and sensory analysis. The following assays were performed on Tempranillo variety: Saccharomyces QA23 (CTQA), Saccharomyces Red Fruit (CTRF), coinoculated T. delbrueckii + S.cerevisiae QA23 (CIQA) and coinoculated T. delbrueckii + S.cerevisiae (CIRF).