Terroir 2020 banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 The effect of different irrigation regimes on the indigenous Cypriot grape variety Xynisteri and comparison to Sauvignon blanc

The effect of different irrigation regimes on the indigenous Cypriot grape variety Xynisteri and comparison to Sauvignon blanc

Abstract

Aims: The aims of this study were to (1) assess the response of the indigenous Cypriot variety Xynisteri to different irrigation regimes and (2) compare the performance of Xynisteri to Sauvignon Blanc grown in pots with different irrigation regimes.

Methods and Results: The investigation involved two irrigation trials conducted in Lemesos, Cyprus during the 2019 season. Irrigation trial one was established in a commercial Xynisteri vineyard. Three different irrigation regimes – full irrigation, deficit irrigation (50%) and no irrigation were used. Irrigation trial two was a potted trial of Xynisteri established from cuttings collected from two different regions (KX and ZX) and Sauvignon blanc. Three irrigation regimes – full irrigation, deficit irrigation (50%) and minimal irrigation (25%) were applied to ten treatment replicates.

Vine performance, vine phenology and bunch architecture measures were taken at five developmental growth stages during the growing season in both trials. Fruit composition analysis, yield (field trial only) and shoot, trunk and root weights measurements were performed at the end of the season.

Very few differences between measures were found between irrigation regimes in the commercial vineyard. However, in 2019 the vineyard received 194mm of rain in the growing season (April-September). Fruit composition analysis revealed fructose to be lowest in the full irrigation group compared to deficit and non-irrigated treatments.

The potted trial demonstrated that for all three irrigation regimes, both Xynisteri KX and ZX had higher stem water potential, stomatal conductance and chlorophyll content when compared to Sauvignon blanc. Additionally, Xynisteri KX had higher chlorophyll content with minimal irrigation compared to the Xynisteri ZX. 

Furthermore, Xynisteri KX and ZX produced greater end of season root, trunk and shoot weights than Sauvignon blanc under all irrigation regimes and Xynisteri KX had greater root, trunk and shoot weights than Xynisteri ZX with full irrigation

Conclusions: 

This study identified the greater potential for the indigenous Cypriot grape variety Xynisteri to cope successfully with hot and dry conditions when compared to Sauvignon blanc. It also highlights the possible existence of different biotypes that may be important for future clonal selection.

Significance and Impact of the Study: The world’s changing climate is placing great pressure on the resources for sustainable viticulture in warm/hot wine growing regions. Many vineyards and wineries base their businesses on European grape varieties traditionally grown in regions with abundant water resources. It is therefore necessary for these wine regions to investigate grape varieties that are indigenous to hot climates. The eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus is one such place with 12 indigenous grape varieties that grow well in a hot climate without irrigation.

Download the PDF

DOI:

Publication date: March 25, 2021

Issue: Terroir 2020

Type : Video

Authors

Alexander W. Copper1*, Christodoulos Karaolis2, Stefanos Koundouras2, Savvas Savvides3, 

Susan E. P. Bastian1, Trent Johnson1, Cassandra Collins1

1School of Agriculture Food and Wine, Waite Research Institute, The University of Adelaide. PMB 1, Glen Osmond, South Australia 5064, Australia
2School of Agriculture, Aristotle University, 54124, Thessaloniki, Greece
3Agricultural Research Institute, Ministry of Agriculture Rural development and Environment, P.O. Box 22016, 1516 Nicosia, Cyprus

Contact the author

Keywords

Climate change, alternative varieties, vine performance, adaptation

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Terroir 2020

Citation

Related articles…

Prevention of wine oxidation during barrel aging: an innovative method to measure antioxidant

Wine oxidation is a problem that affects the freshness, the aromatic profile, the colour and also the mouthfeel of the wine. It mainly concerns white wines. Oxygen interactions with wine compounds lead to the phenomena cited above that are responsible for the depreciation of these wines. Barrel aging is a crucial step in the wine process because it allows many modifications as wine enrichment, colour stabilization, clarification and also a slow oxygenation of the wine. Effects of the oak barrel have to be known to prevent oxidation of the wine. We have been interested in the main antioxidant compounds released by oak barrels to the wine and we have developed an innovative method to reach directly these antioxidant compounds at the oak stave surface.

Read More

Novel contribution to the study of mouth-feel properties in wines

In general, there is a well-established lexicon related to wine aroma and taste properties; however mouth-feel-related vocabulary usually includes heterogeneous, multimodal and personalized terms. Gawel et al.
(2000) published a wheel related to mouthfeel properties of red wine. However, its use in scientific publications has been limited. The authors accepted that the approach had certain limitations as it included redundant and terms with hedonic tone and some others were absent. It is of high interest to generate a mouth-feel lexicon and finding the chemical compound or group of compounds responsible for such properties in red wine. In the present work a chemical fractionation method has been developed.

Read More

Health benefits of wine industry by-products

The total global production of wine in 2021 was estimated at around 250 million hectoliters. The 30% of the total quantity of vinified grapes corresponds to wine by-products that represent nearly 20 million tons, of which 50% corresponds to the European Union. Wine by-products have been used for different purposes, in agriculture, cosmetics, pharmacy, biorefinery, feed, and the food

Read More

Towards a spatial analysis of antique viticultural areas: the case study of Amos (Turkey) and some other places

Interpretation of ancient texts, such as the Amos epigraphic farming leases, questions both locations and spatial extents of the viticultural area, as well as soils, landscapes, cropping methods

Read More

DO MICROPLASTICS IN VINEYARD SOIL AFFECT THE BIOAVAILABILITY OF VINE NUTRITION?

Microplastics can alter physicochemical and biogeochemical processes in the soil, but whether these changes have further effects on soil fertility, and if so, whether these effects vary depending on the type of soil in the vineyard and the type of plastic used in the vineyard. Knowing what types of plastics are currently used in vineyards in Slovenian viticultural regions as strings to tie vines to the stake, the aim of our study was to assess the effects of microplastic particles from polypropylene (PP) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) on the availability of macro (potassium (K), Potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg) and phosphate (P)) and micronutrients (iron (Fe), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn) and zinc (Zn)) in two vineyard soils contrasting in pH and mineralogy. For this purpose, a short-term soil incubation experiment (120 days) was carried out in which the soil samples were enriched with micro-PP and micro-PVC particles. After the incubation period, macro- and micronutrient availability were measured.

Read More