Terroir 2020 banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 The dynamics of δ13C and δ18O in musts during berries development

The dynamics of δ13C and δ18O in musts during berries development

Abstract

Aim: Many processes or reactions that occur in plants involved isotopic discrimination. Water availability, for example, affects the isotopic ratio of carbon (δ13C) and oxygen (δ18O). In viticulture, δ13C is used in experiments related to water relations and irrigation in vineyards. δ18O is used much less but it could be a good complement to δ13C. The aim of this study was to generate knowledge on how these isotopic ratios, measured in musts, could help to better understand the water behavior of grape varieties. 

Methods and Results: The present work was carried out in 2019 with a set of seven varieties selected to monitor the aforementioned ratios in musts obtained during berries development: three of them red (Bobal, Tinto Velasco and Syrah), managed with irrigation, and the other three white (Airén, Malvar and Albillo Real) kept without irrigation; the seventh, Tempranillo, was managed with or without irrigation. 

Monitoring the dynamics of isotope ratios was undertaken through sampling of grapes carried out periodically, from shortly before closing cluster to maturity. In obtained musts, δ13C and δ18O were determined by mass spectrometry of isotope ratios.

The small changes observed between samples in δ13C in a specific variety did not seem to follow any pattern. In most cases, the comparisons of means performed showed no significant differences between samples. However, differences were observed between the two management systems: irrigated and rainfed; in dry conditions, with the stomatal closure, 13C isotopic discrimination declined during photosynthesis, and the ratio then increased.

This was not so with δ18O, where the comparisons of means always showed significant differences between samples. Dynamics of δ18O seemed to adapt, in this case, to a double curve pattern (cubic polynomial): the intense increase in the ratio of the first stages of fruit development was followed by a phase of slight decline, which lasted up to 15 or 20 days before harvest, at which point the ratio increased again. There were both inter-varietal and between management system differences: musts in early harvest varieties showed higher δ18O values than late varieties, while the isotopic enrichment was lower for this isotopic ratio in irrigated vines.

Conclusions:

Differences in the narrow margin in which δ13C values of the grapes are maintained throughout their development seemed to respond more to the crop management practice than to the variety. However, the notable changes in δ18O values seem to be due to a complex mechanism that involves the discharge of water in the grapes from the phloem at beginning of ripening and the loss of water due to transpiration through the skin.

Significance and Impact of the Study: In the search for the genotypes with the highest water efficiency that effectively respond to the proliferation and dilation of drought periods that are expected in many regions, it is urgent to explore the existing genetic variability. In this sense, δ13C and δ18O could be useful tools to take into account in any research related to water use by cultivars at physiological or agronomic levels.

DOI:

Publication date: March 17, 2021

Issue: Terroir 2020

Type: Video

Authors

Adelaida Mena Morales*, Juan Luis Chacón Vozmediano, Rosa Mª Sánchez-Gil Jimeno, Jesús Martínez Gascueña

Instituto Regional de Investigación y Desarrollo Agroalimentario y Forestal de Castilla-La Mancha (IRIAF), IVICAM, Ctra. Toledo-Albacete s/n, 13700 Tomelloso, Ciudad Real, Spain

Contact the author

Keywords

Grapevine, genotypes, musts, δ13C dynamics, δ18O dynamics, IRMS

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Terroir 2020

Citation

Related articles…

Short-term relationships between climate and grapevine trunk diseases in southern French vineyards

[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"...

Local ancient grapevine cultivars to face future viticulture

Among the different strategies to cope with the negative impacts of climate change on viticulture, the exploitation of genetic diversity is one of the most promising to adapt to new conditions and maintain wine production and quality. One of the biggest concerns in the context of climate change is to improve water use efficiency (WUE). In this way, the use of genotypes that present a better response to drought and high WUE is a key issue. In this work, physiological performance analysis was conducted to compare the water deficit stress (WDS) responses of local and widespread grapevines cultivars. Leaf gas exchange, water use efficiency (WUE) at different levels (leaf and long-term WUE (∆13C)), leaf osmotic adjustment and other water relations parameters were determined in plants under well-watered and WDS conditions alongside assessment of the levels of foliar hormones concentrations. Results denote that local cultivars displayed better physiological performance under WDS as compared to the widely-distributed ones. he results corroborate the hypothesis that better stomatal control allows increasing leaf WUE under drought as occurred in the local Callet cv.; but the minority local cultivar Escursac cv. showed high WUE under both treatments. In this case, high WUE can be related to maintaining higher photosynthetic activity under drought. The different mechanisms underlying the better performance under WDS and high WUE of minority local cultivars are discussed.

Ecophysiological performance of Vitis rootstocks under water stress

The use of rootstocks tolerant to soil water deficit is an interesting strategy to cope with limited water availability. Currently, several nurseries are breeding new genotypes, but the physiological basis of its responses under water stress are largely unknown. To this end, an ecophysiological assessment of the conventional 110-Richter (110R) and SO4, and the new M1 and M4 rootstocks was carried out in potted ungrafted plants. During one season, these Vitis genotypes were grown under greenhouse conditions and subjected to two water regimes, well-watered and water deficit. Water potentials of plants under water deficit down to < -1.4 MPa, and net photosynthesis (AN) <5 μmol m-2 s-1 did not cause leaf oxidative stress damage compared to well-watered conditions in any of the genotypes. The antioxidant capacity was sufficient to neutralize the mild oxidative stress suffered. Under both treatments, gravimetric differences in daily water use were observed among genotypes, leading to differences in the biomass of root, shoot and leaf. Under well-watered conditions, SO4 and 110R were the most vigorous and M1 and M4 the least. However, under water stress, SO4 exhibited the greatest reduction in biomass while M4 showed the lowest. Remarkably, under these conditions, SO4 reached the least negative stem water potential (Ψstem), while M1 reduced stomatal conductance (gs) and AN the most. In addition, SO4 and M1 genotypes also showed the highest and lowest hydraulic conductance values, respectively. Our results suggest that there are differences in water use regulation among genotypes, not only attributed to differences in stomatal regulation or intrinsic water use efficiency at the leaf level. Therefore, because no differences in canopy-to-root ratio were achieved, it is hypothesized that xylem vessel anatomical differences may be driving the reported differences among rootstocks performance. Results demonstrate that each Vitis rootstock differs in its ecophysiological responses under water stress.

Different soil types and relief influence the quality of Merlot grapes in a relatively small area in the Vipava Valley (Slovenia) in relation to the vine water status

Besides location and microclimatic conditions, soil plays an important role in the quality of grapes and wine. Soil properties influence…

Legacy of land-cover changes on soil erosion and microbiology in Burgundian vineyards

Soils in vineyards are recognized as complex agrosystems whose characteristics reflect complex interactions between natural factors (lithology, climate, slope, biodiversity) and human activities. To date, most of the unknown lies in an incomplete understanding of soil ecosystems, and specifically in the microbial biodiversity even though soil microbiota is involved in many key functions, such as nutrient cycling and carbon sequestration. Soil biological properties are indicative of soil quality. Therefore, understanding how soil communities are related to soil ecosystem functioning is becoming an essential issue for soil strategy conservation. Here, we propose to assess the importance of land-cover history on the present-day microbiological and physico-chemical properties. The studied area was selected in the Burgundian vineyards (Pernand-Vergelesses, Burgundy, France) where land occupation has been reconstructed over the last 40 years. Soil samples were collected in five areas reflecting various land cover history (forest, vineyards, shifting from forest to vineyards). For each area, physico-chemical parameters (pH, C, N, P, grain size) were measured and DNA was extracted to characterize the abundance and diversity of microbial communities. The obtained results show significant differences in the five areas suggesting that present-day microbial molecular biomass and bacterial taxonomic is partly inherited from past land occupation. Over longer period of time, such study of land-uses legacies may help to better assess ecosystem recovery and the impact of management practices for a better soil quality and vineyards sustainability.