Project Number
WW AD 12-01
Project title
Evaluating the influence of UV on berry growth and quality impact factors in a Sauvignon blanc vineyard
Project leader
Vivier, M A
Institution
University of Stellenbosch. Department of AgriSciences. Department of Viticulture and Oenology
Team members
Deloire, A
Joubert, C
Adams, L F
Project description
Numerous vineyards are located in regions with seasonal drought (as Mediterranean type climates) where soil and atmospheric deficits together with high temperatures exert large constraints on yield per vine and quality (berry composition related to wine style). In the western coastal area the unforeseeable heat waves during grapevine growth and ripening add to the constraints sustained by the vines.
The possible increase in aridity predicted in the near future according to global climate model could lead to water deficits may becoming a limiting factor in wine production and quality. The main abiotic constraints, mainly high temperature associated with water scarcity, affect leaf photosynthesis, root water and mineral uptake, resulting in an inhibition of vine growth, berry development and ripening which ultimately affects vineyard longevity Another important consideration is yield variation over seasons and terroir units. Clusters per vine explain 60 – 70% of the seasonal variation in vine yield. Yield fluctuation could be due to variation in berries per cluster but also to variation in berry size. Berry size fluctuations during berry growth and ripening stages are responsible for important variations in yield and berry quality. To understand the physiological and anatomical basis of berry growth is therefore important for several reasons including:
1. to modulate the appropriate balance between vegetative and reproductive development (which could dictate the choice of the interaction between training and pruning system)
2. to improve vine water use
3. and to control yield and fruit quality under abiotic constraints.
Berry growth and quality: The project will focus on berry cell multiplication and enlargement, berry water flux (water loading, transpiration and back flow), in association with berry sugar loading. The understanding of the interaction between berry size and berry sugar content will allow recommendations to be given in order to achieve a ripening process with the most stable berry size possible (i.e. yield) as well as a low increase in fruit’s brix values when the plateau of sugar per berry is reached. Furthermore, the volume of the berry and its variations during berry growth and ripening stages are important and mainly responsible of the yield per vine fluctuations after flowering. The variations in berry volume evolution occur at the bunch level (berry growth and volume differences within a bunch), and according to abiotic factors influence and vine physiology functioning.
Poster(s)
Joubert, C, Eyeghe-Bickong, H, Coetzee, Z, Young, P R and Vivier, M A. 2014. Metabolite profiling of grape berries exposed or protected from UV-light. Poster presented at 5th International Symposium on Macromolecules and Secondary Metabolites of Grapevine and Wines: MacroWine 2014. 7-10 September 2014, Stellenbosch, South Africa.
Presentation(s)
Deloire, A, Coetzee, Z, Suklje, K, Brandt, J and Muller, N. 2012. Manipulating Sauvignon blanc wine styles in South Africa from a vineyard perspective. Paper presented at the 9th International Terroir Conference. 25-29 June, Burgundy and Champagne, France.
Deloire, A, Coetzee, Z, Suklje, K, Brandt, J and Muller, N. 2012. Manipulating Sauvignon blanc wine styles in South Africa from a vineyard perspective. Paper presented at the 34th National Congress of the South African Society for Enology and Viticulture. 14-16 November, Somerset West, South Africa.
Vivier, M A. 2013. From vineyard to grapes – understanding the impact of viticultural treatments. Paper presented at the 35th South African Society for Enology and Viticulture Conference. 13-15 November, Somerset West, South Africa.
Vivier, M A. 2014. Systems biology of grapevines in field settings using model vineyards. Paper presented at the Conference of Plant Gene Discovery and Omics Technologies. 17-18 February, Vienna, Austria.
Vivier, M A, Young, P R, Du Plessis, K, Eyeghe-Bickong, H and Joubert, C. 2014. The molecular and metabolite profiling of grapevine berries in a model vineyard where the microclimate of the developing bunches has been altered. Paper presented at the 11th International Conference on Grapevine Breeding and Genetics. 28 July – 2 August 2014, Beijing, China.
Article
Suklje, K, Lisjak, K, Cesnik, H B, Janes, L, Du Toit, W J, Coetzee, Z, Vanzo, A, Deloire, A J. 2012. Classification of grape berries according to diameter and total soluble solids to study the effect of light and temperature on methoxypyrazine, glutathione, and hydroxycinnamate evolution during ripening of Sauvignon blanc (Vitis vinifera L.) Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, v. 60 (37) (p. 9454-9461)
Vink, N, Deloire, A, Bonnardot, V M F, Ewert, J. 2012. Climatic change and the future of South Africa’s wine industry, American Association of Wine Economists, v. 105 (p. 1-8)
Vink, N, Deloire, A, Bonnardot, V M F, Ewert, J. 2012. Climatic change and the future of South Africa’ wine industry, International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management, v. 4 (4) (p. 420-441)
Alexandersson, E O, Jacobson, D, Vivier, M A, Weckwerth, W, Andreasson, E. 2014. Field-onomics – understanding large scale molecular data from field crops, Frontiers in Science, Mnth Jun v. 5 (p. 286)
http://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2014.00286
Thesis
Joubert, C. 2013. A case study of source-sink relationships using shoot girdling and berry classification (Vitis vinifera L. cv. Cabernet Sauvignon. MScAgric. University of Stellenbosch, Stellenbosch.
http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/80390