Terroir 2008 banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 Radiative and thermal effects on fruit ripening induced by differences in soil colour

Radiative and thermal effects on fruit ripening induced by differences in soil colour

Abstract

One of the intrinsic parts of a vineyard “terroir” is soil type and one of the characteristics of the soil is it’s colour. This can differ widely from bright white, as for some calcareous soils, to red, as in “terra rossa” soils, or black, as in slate soils. The aim of this study was to assess how soil colour can influence vineyard microclimate and fruit properties including aroma precursors. After flowering, (BBCH 79) a loess-type soil (control) was covered with a thin layer of three different materials: a) black coarse slate, b) red clay brick, and c) white pumice. The vines (Vitis vinifera L. cvs. Riesling and Pinot noir) were trained to a vertical shoot positioning (VSP) system. Surface colour had significant effects on the quantity and quality of reflected radiation into the fruiting zone. The pumice covered soil showed the highest amount of reflected – and the highest ratio of red-to far red light, important in phytochrome mediated enzyme activity in the fruit.
Large thermal effects on soil surface temperature and on berry skin temperature were found. By varying the distance of clusters to the ground, the temperature of berry skins declined rapidly within the first 0.3 m when fruit was exposed to the red, white or natural coloured soil. In contrast, over coarse ground slate the absolute berry surface temperature was higher and remained constant over the same distances. Berry ripening was affected by surface colour and preliminary results indicate that altered vineyard microclimate has effects on berry composition.

DOI:

Publication date: December 8, 2021

Issue: Terroir 2008

Type : Article

Authors

M. STOLL (1), M. STUEBINGER (2), M. LAFONTAINE (1) and H. R. SCHULTZ (1,2)

(1) Fachgebiet Weinbau, Institut für Weinbau und Rebenzüchtung, Forschungsanstalt, D-65366 Geisenheim
(2) Fachhochschule Wiesbaden, Fachbereich Geisenheim, D-65366 Geisenheim

Contact the author

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Terroir 2008

Citation

Related articles…

Functionality of different inter-stimulus rinse protocols for the sensory analysis of wildfire affected wines

From the effect of global climate change, wildfire occurrence during grape ripening has increased. These wildfires produce smoke that can carry organic compounds to a vineyard. These smoke compounds are adsorbed in the grape berry and result in wines with elevated levels of smoke-related phenols. These wines are described as having a smokey, burnt, and dirty aroma (Kristic et al, 2015). Not only are volatile phenols carried by smoke, but additionally glycoconjugate forms of these phenols are present as will. These have been found to have a large impact on the flavor of wines, being the cause of a lasting ashy aftertaste post consumption (Parker et al, 2012). When evaluating the sensory profile of these wines when tasted one after the other, there is an observed problem due to the lasting nature of these undesirable attributes and high level of carry-over from sample to sample. The aim of this work is to evaluate the extent this carryover occurs, along with the best sensory practices to mitigate its influence via different inter-stimulus rinse protocols.

Riesling aroma composition in light of changing global temperatures – delving into the effects of warmer nights on the volatile profile of riesling grapes

Climate is a key parameter when the modulation of berry and subsequent wine composition is considered. Recent decades have already seen an increase in global surface temperatures

Dissecting the dual role of light regarding the plasticity of grape physiology and gene regulation through daylength simulation in a semi-arid region

Context and purpose of the study. Daylength is a key climatic factor within the terroir concept. However, the complex interplay of multiple variables in regions with varying daylengths makes it challenging to isolate and investigate this specific factor.

Neural networks and ft-ir spectroscopy for the discrimination of single varietal and blended wines. A preliminary study.

Blending wines from different grape varieties is often used in order to increase wine complexity and balance. Due to their popularity, several types of blends such as the Bordeaux blend, are protected by PDO legislation.

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.