GiESCO 2019 banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 GiESCO 9 GiESCO 2019 9 Sensitivity of vis‐nir spectral indices to detect nitrogen deficiency and canopy function in cv. Barbera (Vitis vinifera L.) Grapevines

Sensitivity of vis‐nir spectral indices to detect nitrogen deficiency and canopy function in cv. Barbera (Vitis vinifera L.) Grapevines

Abstract

Context and purpose of the study ‐ Precision nutrient management in viticulture can be addressed on the basis of a spatial characterization of within‐vineyard vine nutritional status derived from proximal or remote spectral observations. However, a key challenge is the discrimination between mineral deficiencies and water stress related issues, often coexisting under low vigor conditions. In addition several mineral disorders are associated to a decrease in chlorophyll concentration in leaves resulting in a wide array of symptoms classified as chlorosis. Despite clearly associated to their origin, visible symptoms appear too late for supporting an efficient mineral management; thus, non‐destructive early detection of either asymptomatic excess or deficient status become a challenging task of precision viticulture. This work evaluates the Vis‐NIR reflectance spectra and the sensitivity of the derived‐spectral indices to detect nitrogen deficiency in grapevines.

Material and methods ‐ Well N‐fertilized vs. unfertilized vines were compared over two seasons (2016 and 2017) on Vitis vinifera L. cv. Barbera potted vines. For each treatment, 24 leaves from eight representative vines were tagged in order to collect, at different phenological stages, contact Vis‐NIR spectra and perform physiological measurements. The performance of several spectral vegetation indices sensitive to different biophysical (i.e. chlorophyll and carotenoids content, leaf area index) and physiological parameters (light use efficiency) was measured by means of a sensitivity (signal to noise ratio) analysis. Leaf greenness index was monitored with a handheld chlorophyll meter SPAD 502 whilst single‐leaf gas exchanges were assessed by using a handheld analyzer. Multispectral analysis was associated to a rigorous ground‐truthing as it concerns shoot growth, yield, fruit composition and pruning weight.

Results – In both years the differential fertilization increased leaf N concentration of N+ vines at veraison. Vine performance varied according to plant vigor and nutritional status. N+ increased canopy growth, vine productivity, and bunch compactness whilst N0 enhanced the proportion of shot berries and reduced titratable acidity and malate in juice. N deficiency resulted in lower SPAD readings and assimilation rates as compared to well N‐fertilized vines. N0 vs N+ contact Vis‐NIR spectra differed in Green and Red‐edge regions with faster responses on basal leaves. Data were associated to a different sensitivity of Vis‐NIR spectral indices specially when based on the Red‐edge bands showing higher efficiency in detecting leaf N concentration since early stages of canopy growth.

DOI:

Publication date: June 22, 2020

Issue: GiESCO 2019

Type: Article

Authors

Matteo GATTI (1,2), Alessandra GARAVANI (1,2), Alberto VERCESI (1), Cecilia SQUERI (1), Michele CROCI (1,2), Ferdinando CALEGARI (2), Massimo VINCINI (2), Stefano PONI (1,2)

(1) DIPROVES Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Via E. Parmense 84, I-29122 Piacenza, Italy
(2) CRAST Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Via E. Parmense 84, I-29122 Piacenza, Italy

Contact the author

Keywords

Mineral nutrition, Visual symptoms, Leaf age, Assimilation, Yield components, Phenotyping

Tags

GiESCO 2019 | IVES Conference Series

Citation

Related articles…

Assessment of the impact of actions in the vineyard and its surrounding environment on biodiversity in Rioja Alavesa (Spain)

Traditional viticulture areas have experienced in the last decades an intensification of field practices, linked to an increased use of fertilisers and phytosanitary products, and to a more intensive mechanization and uniformization of the landscape. This change in management has sometimes led to higher rates of soil erosion andloss of soil structure, fertility decline, groundwater contamination, and to an increased pressure of pests and diseases. Additionally, intensification usually leads to a simplification of landscapes, of particular concern in prestigious wine grape regions where the economical revenue encourages the conversion of land use from natural habitats to high value wine grape production. To revert this trend, it is necessary that growers implement actions that promote biodiversity in their vineyards. The aim of this study is to assess the impact of the implementation of cover crops, vegetational corridors, dry stone walls and vineyard biodiversity hotspots estimated through the study of arthropods. The work has been carried out in four vineyards in Rioja Alavesa belonging to Ostatu winery, where these infrastructures were implemented in 2020. The presence and diversity of arthropods was studied by capturing them at different times in the season and at different distances from the infrastructure using pit-fall traps in the soil and yellow, white and blue chromatic traps at the canopy level. This is a preliminary study in which all adult insects were sorted to the taxonomic level of order and Coleoptera were classified to morphospecies. The results obtained show that there is a relationship between the basic characteristics of the vineyard and the arthropods captured, with a positive effect, although also dependent on the vineyard, of the presence of infrastructure.

Effects of graft quality on growth and grapevine-water relations

Climate change is challenging viticulture worldwide compromising its sustainability due to warmer temperatures and the increased frequency of extreme events. Grafting Vitis vinifera L.

Elevational range shifts of mountain vineyards: Recent dynamics in response to a warming climate

Increasing temperatures worldwide are expected to cause a change in spatial distribution of plant species along elevational gradients and there are already observable shifts to higher elevations as a consequence of climate change for many species. Not only naturally growing plants, but also agricultural cultivations are subject to the effects of climate change, as the type of cultivation and the economic viability depends largely on the prevailing climatic conditions. A shift to higher elevations therefore represents a viable adaptation strategy to climate change, as higher elevations are characterized by lower temperatures. This is especially important in the case of viticulture because a certain wine-style can only be achieved under very specific climatic conditions. Although there are several studies investigating climatic suitability within winegrowing regions or longitudinal shifts of winegrowing areas, little is known about how fast vineyards move to higher elevations, which may represent a viable strategy for winegrowers to maintain growing conditions and thus wine-style, despite the effects of climate change. We therefore investigated the change in the spatial distribution of vineyards along an elevational gradient over the past 20 years in the mountainous wine-growing region of Alto Adige (Italy). A dataset containing information about location and planting year of more than 26000 vineyard parcels and 30 varieties was used to perform this analysis. Preliminary results suggest that there has been a shift to higher elevations for vineyards in general (from formerly 700m to currently 850 m a.s.l., with extreme sites reaching 1200 m a.s.l.), but also that this development has not been uniform across different varieties and products (i.e. vitis vinifera vs hybrid varieties and still vssparkling wines). This is important for climate change adaptation as well as for rural development. Mountain areas, especially at mid to high elevations, are often characterized by severe land abandonment which can be avoided to some degree if economically viable and sustainable land management strategies are available.

Influence of grapevine rootstock/scion combination on rhizosphere and root endophytic microbiomes

Soil is a reservoir of microorganisms playing important roles in biogeochemical cycles and interacting with plants whether in the rhizosphere or in the root endosphere. The composition of the microbial communities thus impacts the plant health. Rhizodeposits (such as sugar, organic and amino acids, secondary metabolites, dead root cells …) are released by the roots and influence the communities of rhizospheric microorganisms, acting as signaling compounds or carbon sources for microbes. The composition of root exudates varies depending on several factors including genotypes. As most of the cultivated grapevines worldwide are grafted plants, the aim of this study was to explore the influence of rootstock and scion genotypes on the microbial communities of the rhizosphere and the root endosphere. The work was conducted in the GreffAdapt plot (55 rootstocks x 5 scions), in which the 275 combinations have been planted into 3 blocks designed according to the soil resistivity. Samples of roots and rhizosphere of 10 scion x rootstock combinations were first collected in May among the blocks 2 and 3. The quantities of bacteria, fungi and archaea have been assessed in the rhizosphere by quantitative PCR, and by cultivable methods for bacteria and fungi. The communities of bacteria, fungi and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) was analyzed by Illumina sequencing of 16S rRNA gene, ITS and 28S rRNA gene, respectively. The level of mycorrhization was also evaluated using black ink coloration of newly formed roots harvested in October. The level of bacteria, fungi and archaea was dependent on rootstock and scion genotypes. A block effect was observed, suggesting that the soil characteristics strongly influenced the microorganisms from the rhizosphere and root endosphere. High-throughput sequencing of the different target genes showed different communities of bacteria, fungi and AMF associated with the scion x rootstock combinations. Finally, all the combinations were naturally mycorrhized. The root mycorrhization intensity was influenced by the rootstock genotype, but not by the scion one. Altogether, these results suggest that both rootstock and scion genotypes influence the rhizosphere and root endophytic microbiomes. It would be interesting to analyze the biochemical composition of the rhizodeposition of these genotypes for a better understanding of the processes involved in the modulation of these microbiomes. Moreover, crossing our data with the plant agronomic characteristics could provide insights into their roles on plant fitness.

A predictive model of spatial Eca variability in the vineyard to support the monitoring of plant status

[lwp_divi_breadcrumbs home_text="IVES" use_before_icon="on" before_icon="||divi||400" module_id="publication-ariane" _builder_version="4.19.4" _module_preset="default" module_text_align="center" module_font_size="16px" text_orientation="center"...