Sensory evaluation of grapes (Vitis vinifera L.) plays a key role in determining the harvest time in grapevine varieties. The harvest time of cv. Carménère is one of the latest of Chile. During the season 2007-2008, the evolution of the appearance of Carménère seeds was evaluated as a harvest criterion, comparing it with the chemical and phenolic ripening. The samples were obtained from an organic vineyard located in Curicó Valley, Chile. Starting at 16 ºBrix, 100 seed berries samples were collected weekly from medium vigor vines in order to register photographically the ventral and dorsal sides of each seed. In addition to the seed tannins percentage, the extractable anthocyanins, total anthocyanins and total polyphenols index, as well as the titratable acidity, soluble solids and pH were registered. A color wheel of seed coat with a description of 12 digital colors was proposed for this cultivar. When the color number exceeded 10 (very dark brown), the soluble solids had already reached 24 ºBrix 1 month earlier. Two inverse correlations between seed coat color vs. seed phenols percentage and vs. total polyphenol index were found. The proper phenolic maturation (maximum anthocyanins and minimum seed tannins percentage) occurred 177 d post flowering. The observation of seed coat color can be a reliable, simple and low-cost parameter to determine the correct ripeness of phenols in 'Carménère' grapevines.

The number of biogas stations in the Czech Republic has recently increased considerably; as of 1 January 2014 some 500 biogas plants were registered of which 378 are agricultural biogas plants with installed electric energy of 392 MW. The estimated annual digestate production ranges around 7.9 mil t and the biogas stations are deployed irregularly in the regions. On that account practical problems frequently arise how to utilise the digestate effectively and/or where to apply it (in compliance with legislation -for example: The Nitrates Directive and Restrictions in the Vulnerable Areas). Considering the fact that digestate is produced during the whole year, possibilities are being sought of using it not only to fertilise arable crops but also vegetables. Whereas information on using digestate to fertilise arable crops is relatively abundant, in the case of vegetables it is vice versa (Dostál et al. 2015).Manures from stables, crop residues, wastes from the food industry, municipal wastes, and dedicated energy crops are the main feedstocks for anaerobic digestion (AD) in biogas plants. The residual product of AD, called digestate (= biogas effluents = biogas residues, or biogas slurry, when animal manures are digested), is usually used as (1) untreated control; (2) digestate; (3) digestate + phosphorus (P). The nitrogen (N) rate was the same in treatments 2-3. There were significant differences between years in all parameters. The weight of single kohlrabi bulbs in the unfertilised control was significantly lower in both years (33.1-46.9%) than in the digestate treatment (100%). Digestate supplemented with P (treatment 3) increased the bulb yield significantly by 11.0-14.3% compared with pure digestate (treatment 2). In both years the content of bulb nitrates (mg NO 3 -/kg FM (fresh matter)) was significantly the lowest in the unfertilised control (135 and 163, respectively). After digestate applications the nitrates content (mg NO 3 -/kg FM) increased significantly in both years, i.e. to 315-327 (2014) and to 486-509 (2015) compared to unfertilised control. In two years the content of ascorbic acid (mg/kg FM) did not differ among the three treatments (274-288 in 2014 and 311-329 in 2015). Digestates can be recommended for kohlrabi fertilisation prior to planting.

Vitis vinifera cv. Carménère is a vigorous variety of grapevine that requires high temperatures and luminosity for achieving optimal phenolic maturity and herbal aromas, which has been reported to significantly delay harvest in Chile. This research was developed under the hypothesis that canopy management, vigor and crop load could modify the productive and vegetative relationships for obtaining early or late ripening and achieving vine balance. The aim of this study was to determine the vine balance and the time of ripeness for Carménère grapevines. Different vigor and canopy managements were evaluated. The study was conducted in the Central Valley of Chile during the 2007 to 2008 season with own-rooted Carménère vines trained to a four-cane vertical shoot position (VSP) located on high growth potential soil. The ripeness was delayed with high vigor and high crop load. In this growing condition, an early ripeness was reached with spur pruning, low vigor and by cluster thinning. In addition, the appropriate vine balance was only obtained in vines with low vigor and 50% cluster thinning. Together, these data demonstrate the vine balance of Carménère under these management conditions.

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