Growth, yield and must quality of four winegrape varieties (Vitis vinifera L.) grown on calcareous soils in Sicily

Abstract

Soil characteristics have an important impact on the final quality of grapes. Soil texture, depth and structure, chemical fertility and active limestone content are key variables that influence soil–plant interactions, ultimately affecting the organoleptic properties of grapes and conferring distinctive quality and typicity to wines. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of two pedological contexts calcareous soils with a calcarenite matrix and marly matrix on the growth, yield, and must quality of four grapevine varieties (Vitis vinifera L.; Grillo/1103 P, Nero d’Avola/140 Ru, Chardonnay/420 A, and Syrah/140 Ru) over two consecutive years. A two-way ANOVA was carried out with soil and year as fixed factors. A cultivar-dependent response to soil type was observed. The influence of soil conditions varied between autochthonous (Grillo and Nero d’Avola) and allochthonous (Chardonnay and Syrah) cultivars. For the local varieties, the vintage effect prevailed over the pedological one, suggesting a stronger adaptation to the local environment and greater resilience to inter-annual climatic variability. In contrast, the international cultivars showed clearer differences between soils, indicating a more pronounced sensitivity to the pedological conditions. Regarding vegetative and productive performance, significant differences were detected only for Chardonnay and Syrah. In Syrah, the marly soil, with higher active limestone content, was associated with higher bunch/shoot ratio compared to the calcarenite soil. Leaf area development was also affected, suggesting an interaction between soil chemical properties and canopy expression. Concerning must quality, the higher active limestone content of the marly soil positively influenced titratable acidity (TA) in Chardonnay throughout the experimental period, enhancing the balance of the must and potentially improving its suitability for high-quality wine production under warm Mediterranean conditions. Overall, the results highlight the complex interplay between soil properties, cultivar, and vintage, emphasizing that the response to calcareous environments is strongly cultivar dependent. The findings provide useful insights for vineyard management and varietal choice in calcareous areas, where soil heterogeneity can significantly affect both vine performance and grape composition.

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