Soluble solids change in the grapevine phylloxera infested Muscaris vines under different watering conditions

Abstract

What happens in the vines that simultaneously experience both abiotic and biotic stress factors? Here, we have set up an experiment in a greenhouse with Muscaris, a PIWI cultivar, to determine its response in terms of non-structural carbohydrates.

This study was conducted in a controlled greenhouse environment using 2-year-old, potted plants of own-rooted Muscaris. The vines were concomitantly inoculated on either the root, the leaf, or both (root + leaf) by defined phylloxera strains. Control vines were not inoculated. Water stress (WS) was imposed on the vines for the next 8 weeks by providing 30% less of well-watered (WW) vines. At the end on the day 63, the leaves, stems and roots were sampled for their soluble solid contents using anion exchange chromatography.

Glucose content in the uninfested leaf was significantly affected by the interaction between water and phylloxera treatment. Inoculum site caused significant differences in glucose, fructose and sucrose contents in the uninfested roots. It also significantly affected shoot fructose. Uninfested parts of the vines accumulated soluble sugars in the decreasing order of glucose, sucrose and fructose. On the other hand, sucrose was the most responsive to the treatments in the infested organs. Inoculum site had significant effects on it in galls ad roots. Infested leaves had more glucose under WS and more sucrose under WW conditions. As a conclusion, Water restrictions play a role in production and accumulation of soluble solids in phylloxerated vines. Depending on the infection site, the vines respond as changing their carbohydrate contents in different organs.

Acknowledgements

The author’s work was supported by the 2219-International Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Program provided by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TUBITAK).