GiESCO 2019 banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 GiESCO 9 GiESCO 2019 9 Forcing vine regrowth in Vitis vinifera cv. Touriga nacional at Douro region

Forcing vine regrowth in Vitis vinifera cv. Touriga nacional at Douro region

Abstract

Context and purpose of the study ‐ Douro Region, characterized by a Mediterranean climate type and schist soils, is subjected to water and heat stresses conditions during summer. In some locations, the temperatures registered during berry maturation, lead to fruit ripen during warmer months, increasing the degradation of organic acids, tannins and phenolics that can negatively affect the quality of wines. Forcing vine regrowth is a new practice, being currently tested in Mediterranean countries, that aims to shift fruit ripening to cooler months of the year by pruning the plants after fruit set ‐ Crop Forcing (CF) ‐ removing all the leaves and bunches and leaving five buds per shoot, in order to reduce the negative effect of high temperatures during berry maturation on its quality.

Material and methods ‐ This work aims to study the effect of forcing vine regrowth in cv. ‘Touriga Nacional’ under Regulated Deficit Irrigation conditions, in vines irrigated with 30% of the evapotranspiration. Three modalities were established: vines with no forcing regrowth (Control ‐ CTRL), vines with CF set 15 days after fruit set (CF15) and plants with CF performed 30 days after fruit set (CF30). The effects on phenology, canopy development, berry development and fruit composition were assessed.

Results ‐ Plants subjected to CF15 were severely damaged after phenological stage of full bloom due to exceptional conditions to downy mildew (Plasmopara viticola) infections, boosted by the new phenological stages due to crop forcing. On the other hand, the crop forcing modality CF30 registered a delay of nearly two months in all phenological stages, since fruit set until harvest. Shorter internodes (50%) and lower leaf area (35%) were observed in CF30 when compared to the CTRL plants at ripening stage. The number of shoots at fruit set was also significantly different between the three treatments, with higher values in CF modalities and lower values in CTRL plants. In terms of yield, comparing CF30 th th (harvested in November, 27 ) and CRTL (harvest in October, 6 ), it was found that CF reduced the number of bunches (39%), the number of berries per bunch and the average berry weight (60%). Moreover, berries from the forced crop modalities (from grapes) had a pH slightly lower (3.35), higher titratable acidity (8.82 g/L) and lower ˚Brix (17.02˚Brix) when compared to CRTL, with pH values of 3.74, titratable acidity of 4.16 g/L and Brix of 23.93˚. Despite these results, further study should be carried out to evaluate the long‐term effects of CF and its applicability depending on the climatic conditions for each year.

DOI:

Publication date: June 22, 2020

Issue: GiESCO 2019

Type: Article

Authors

Inês L. CABRAL (1), Anabela CARNEIRO (1), Joana VALENTE (2), Fernando ALVES (2), Frank S. ROGERSON (2), Artur MOREIRA (2), Pedro LEAL da COSTA (2), Susana M.P. CARVALHO (1), Jorge QUEIROZ (1)

(1) GreenUPorto & DGAOT, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, Campus de Vairão, Rua da Agrária, 747, 4485-646 Vairão, Portugal
(2) Symington Family Estates, Travessa Barão de Forrester 86, 4431-901 Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal 

Contact the author

Keywords

Douro region, crop forcing, grapevine, phenology, quality, yield

Tags

GiESCO 2019 | IVES Conference Series

Citation

Related articles…

Can varietal ‘apricot’ aroma of Viognier wine be controlled with clonal selection and harvest timing?

Recent wine-like reconstitution sensory studies confirmed that several monoterpenes were the key aroma compounds in the perception of an ‘apricot’ aroma attribute in Viognier wine.

The effect of water stress deficit on ‘Xynisteri’ grapes through systems biology approaches

Cyprus is one of the very few phyloxera-free areas worldwide where the vast majority of vines are own-rooted and non-irrigated. ‘Xynisteri’ is a predominant indigenous cultivar, particularly amenable to extreme conditions such as drought and hot climate, thus rendering it appropriate for marginal soils and adverse climatic conditions. In the current work, a comparative study between irrigated (irrigation initiated at BBCH 71) and non-irrigated vines was conducted.

Evaluation of aroma characteristics in Vitis amurensis grapes across different regions by using HS-SPME-GC/MS

Background: Aroma compounds are important secondary metabolite in grapes and play important roles in the flavor and quality of grape berries and their wines. Vitis amurensis grape belongs to the East Asian Vitis spp., with excellent cold and disease resistance, and exhibits strong brewing potential. However, it has not been effectively utilized and there is no systematic research on the aroma compounds of V. amurensis grapes.
Methods: To provide sufficient experimental evidence for the characteristic aroma of V. amurensis grape, HS-SPME-GC/MS was used to identify the aroma compounds of five V. amurensis (‘Beiguohong’, ‘Beiguolan’, ‘Shuangfeng’, ‘Shuanghong’, ‘Shuangyou’) and three interspecific hybrids (‘Beibinghong’, ‘Xuelanhong’, ‘Zuoyouhong’) grapes in Zuojia and Ji’an. The grape berries were collected at harvest in 2020, 2021 and 2022.

The ampelographic collection – glorious past, challenging present, expectant future

During the more than 190 years since the founding of the first ampelographic collection, the creation of a series of collections is attested on the territory of the Republic of Moldova, each operating in different historical periods and socio-economic conditions,

What do we know about the kerosene/petrol aroma in riesling wines?

1,1,6-Trimethyl-1,2-dihydronaphthalene (TDN) is a controversial aroma component found in Riesling wines. It belongs to the family of C13-norisoprenoids and is mainly associated with kerosene/petrol notes. TDN can add complexity to the wine aroma at medium – low concentrations and deteriorate the wine bouquet when its content is high. No TDN aromas are usually perceived in young Riesling wines, but they can appear after several years of aging due to the gradual formation of TDN. Management of TDN in Riesling wines is an actual task, since global warming can promote formation of this compound and compromise the aromatic composition of wine. Therefore, the aim of the current work was, firstly, to study the sensory particularities of TDN in Riesling wine at various concentrations. Secondly, to investigate the ability of bottle closures to absorb (scalp) TDN from Riesling wine under various storage conditions. These studies also include the comparative assessment of our findings with previously published data. METHODS: sensory analysis, GC-MS (SBSE), HPLC,1H-NMR and other methods related to the synthesis and determination of TDN. RESULTS: First of all, the method of the synthesis of highly purified TDN (95% and 99.5%) was optimized [1].