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…

Influence of weather and climatic conditions on the viticultural production in Croatia

The research includes an analysis of the impact of weather conditions on phenological development of the vine and grape quality, through monitoring of four experimental cultivars (Chardonnay, Graševina, Merlot and Plavac mali) over two production years. In each experimental vineyard, which were evenly distributed throughout the regions of Slavonia and The Croatian Danube, Croatian Uplands,

Late frost protection in Champagne

Probably one of the most counterintuitive impacts of climate change on vine is the increased frequency of late frost. Champagne, due to its septentrional position is historically and regularly affected by this meteorological hazard. Champagne has therefore developed a strong experience in frost protection with first experiments dating from the end of 19th century. Frost protection can be divided in two parts: passive and active. Passive protection includes all the methods that do not seek to modify the vine’s environment or resistance at the time of frost. The most iconic passive protection in Champagne is the establishment of the individual reserve. This reserve allows to stock a certain quantity of clear wine during a surplus year to compensate a meteorological hazard like frost during the following years. Other common passive methods are the control of planting area (walls, bushes, topography), the choice of grape variety, late pruning, or the impact of grass cover and tillage. Active frost protection is also divided in two parts. Most of the existing techniques tend to modify vine’s environment. Most of the time they provide warmth (candles, heaters, windmills, heating cables…), or stabilise bud’s temperature above a lethal threshold (water sprinkling). The other way to actively fight is to enhance the resistance of buds to frost (elicitors). The Comité Champagne evaluates frost protection methods following three main axes: the efficiency, the profitability, and the environmental impact through a lifecycle assessment. This study will present the results on both passive and active protection following these three axes.

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"...

Modeling island and coastal vineyards potential in the context of climate change

Climate change impacts regional and local climates, which in turn affects the world’s wine regions. In the short term, these modifications rises issues about maintaining quality and style of wine, and in a longer term about the suitability of grape varieties and the sustainability of traditional wine regions. Thus, adaptation to climate change represents a major challenge for viticulture. In this context, island and coastal vineyards could become coveted areas due to their specific climatic conditions. In regions subject to warming, the proximity of the sea can moderate extremes temperatures, which could be an advantage for wine. However, coastal and island areas are particular prized spaces and subject to multiple pressures that make the establishment or extension of viticulture complex.
In this perspective, it seems relevant to assess the potentialities of coastal and island areas for viticulture. This contribution will present a spatial optimization model that tends to characterize most suitable agroclimatic patterns in historical or emerging vineyards according to different scenarios. Thanks to an in-depth bibliography a global inventory of coastal and insular vineyards on a worldwide scale has been realized. Relevant criteria have been identified to describe the specificities of these vineyards. They are used as input data in the optimization process, which will optimize some objectives and spatial aspects. According to a predefined scenario, the objectives are set in three main categories associated with climatic characteristics, vineyards characteristics and management strategies. At the end of this optimization process, a series of maps presents the different spatial configurations that maximize the scenario objectives.

Mobile device to induce heat-stress on grapevine berries

Studying heat stress response of grapevine berries in the field often relies on weather conditions during the growing season. We constructed a mobile heating device, able to induce controlled heat stress on grapes in vineyards. The heater consisted of six 150 W infrared lamps mounted in a profile frame. Heating power of the lamps could be controlled individually by a control unit consisting of a single board computer and six temperature sensors to reach a pre-set temperature. The heat energy applied to individual berries within a cluster decreases by the squared distance to the heat source, enabling the establishment of temperature profiles within individual clusters. These profiles can be measured by infrared thermography once a steady state has been reached. Radiant flux density received by a berry depending on the distance was calculated based on a view factor and measured lamp surface temperature and resulted to 665 Wm-2 at 7cm. Infrared thermography of the fruit surface was in good agreement with measurements conducted with a thermocouple inserted at epidermis level. In combination with infrared thermography, the presented device offers possibilities for a wide range of applications like phenotyping for heat tolerance in the field to proceed in the understanding of the complex response of plants to heat stress. Sunburn necrosis symptoms were artificially induced with the aid of the device for cv. Bacchus and cv. Sylvaner in the 2020 and 2021 growing season. Threshold temperatures for sunburn induction (LT5030min) were derived from temperature data of single berries and visual sunburn assessment, applying logistic regression. A comparison of threshold temperatures for the occurrence of sunburn necrosis confirmed the higher susceptibility of cv. Bacchus. The lower susceptibility of cv. Sylvaner did not seem to be related to its phenolic composition, rendering a thermoprotective role of berry phenolic compounds unlikely.