 IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 Macrowine 9 Macrowine 2021 9 Grapevine diversity and viticultural practices for sustainable grape growing 9 Effect of application of kaolin and pinolene on grape berry cell death, berry shrinkage, and ethanol accumulation

Effect of application of kaolin and pinolene on grape berry cell death, berry shrinkage, and ethanol accumulation

Abstract

AIM: Cell death in Vitis vinifera L. berries late in ripening and berry shrinkage (loss of mass) can decrease yield and reduce grape quality in cultivars such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and especially Shiraz. Techniques to ameliorate effects of cell death and berry shrinkage are limited. Pinolene and kaolin are two types of film-forming antitranspirants applied to plants to reduce water loss. If these antitranspirants create a water impermeable coating, they may also restrict gas exchange, exacerbating hypoxia associated with cell death in grape berries. This study aimed to identify the effects on berry physiology during ripening of kaolin and pinolene coatings on Shiraz and Grenache bunches.

METHODS: Kaolin (6% w/w), pinolene (1% w/w) and water (control) were sprayed on Shiraz and Grenache bunches (2019-2020, Waite campus University of Adelaide) during ripening every 7 to 15 days. Change in berry mass, cell vitality, internal oxygen concentration, ethanol accumulation and bunch and canopy temperature were recorded.

RESULTS: Grenache berries had almost no shrinkage and no cell death during development contrasting to continuous decline in berry mass and cell vitality in Shiraz berries from 85 days after anthesis. Kaolin had no effects on berry properties. Pinolene reduced loss of berry mass in Shiraz and slightly increased berry mass in Grenache, leading to lower sugar concentrations in both cultivars. There was no effect of pinolene on berry oxygen concentration or cell vitality since both declined similarly to controls. There was an exponential increase in berry ethanol concentration with increasing mean daily temperature. Berry ethanol concentration for Grenache was much lower than for Shiraz under similar temperature conditions. There was no effect of treatments on berry ethanol concentrations.

CONCLUSIONS

Pinolene decreased berry shrinkage and prevented high sugar concentration presumably by reducing transpiration without impacting sugar content. It was surprising that this compound could decrease water loss without apparently affecting internal oxygen concentration in the berry. Ethanol accumulation during berry ripening could be a causative factor of cell death or is closely associated with it. Temperature may decrease berry vitality by accelerating respiration which leads to anoxia and high ethanol production.

DOI:

Publication date: September 2, 2021

Issue: Macrowine 2021

Type: Article

Authors

Lishi Cai

School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, The University of Adelaide, PMB1, Glen Osmond, SA 5064, Australia,Apriadi Situmorang School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, The University of Adelaide, PMB1, Glen Osmond, SA 5064, Australia Steve Tyerman School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, The University of Adelaide, PMB1, Glen Osmond, SA 5064, Australia

Contact the author

Keywords

Citation

Impact of dosage sugar-type and ageing on finished sparkling wine composition and development of Maillard reaction-associated compounds

The Maillard reaction (MR) is a non-enzymatic reaction between reducing sugars and amino acids, resulting in the production of volatile and flavour-active compounds.

Volatilome in grapevine leaves is defined by the variety and modulated by mycorrhizal symbiosis

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) constitute a diverse group of secondary metabolites key for the communication of plants with other organisms and for their adaptation to environmental and biotic stresses. The emission of these compounds through leaves is also affected by the interaction of plants with symbiotic microorganisms, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) among them [1]. Our objective was to know the concentration and profile of VOCs emitted by the leaves of two grapevine varieties (Tempranillo, T, and Cabernet Sauvignon, CS, grafted onto R110 rootstocks), inoculated or not with a consortium of five AMF (Rhizophagus irregularis, Funneliformis mosseae, Septoglomus deserticola, Claroideoglomus claroideum and C. etunicatum).

ABA and ethephon alleviated to a different extent the impact of elevated temperatures on grape berry composition

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) forecasts an increase in global temperature and a decrease in relative humidity (RH) in the coming decades, which may have implications for berry ripening and composition.

Understanding vine response to Mediterranean summer stress for the development of adaptation strategies – in the kaolin case

In this video recording of the IVES science meeting 2023, Sara Bernardo (CITAB, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Vila Real, Portugal) speaks about understanding vine response to Mediterranean summer stress for the development of adaptation strategies – in the kaolin case. This presentation is based on an original article accessible for free on OENO One.

Active thermography to determine grape bud mortality: system design and feasibility

Bud death due to cold damage is a recurrent and major economic issue with Vitis vinifera L. in the Northeastern U.S. winegrowing regions. Primary buds – and sometimes secondary and tertiary buds – are often damaged by fluctuating temperatures in the winter and early spring. To maintain balanced vegetative and reproductive growth of a vine, pruning practices need to be adjusted to account for bud damage. Conventional bud damage assessment requires growers to sample canes/spurs, cut nodes with a razor blade, and then visually assess bud damage. This process is laborious and becomes a major barrier for damage-compensated pruning decision-making, leading to too few live buds per vine and the associated excessive vigor and low yield that result. The overarching goal of this study was to develop an active thermographic system for non-destructive detection of bud damage in the vineyard.