Potassium (K) is essential for vine growth and yield. Grape berries are a strong sink for K, particularly during ripening. Excess K levels in grape berries may have a negative impact on wine quality, mainly because it decreases free tartaric acid resulting in an increase in the pH of grape juice, must and wine. In Australia, high K status is common in most vineyards, which reflects the high K and high pH values of most Australian grape juice. This necessitates pH adjustment during the vinification process, and tartaric acid addition is a common practice in most Australian wineries. High K concentration may also lead to excessive loss of the additional tartaric acid by precipitation as potassium bitartrate and, as a consequence, pH adjustment becomes more difficult and expensive. Ensuring naturally low K levels in the berry will help reduce costs of input and waste management at the winery. Potential vineyard management options to manipulate berry K accumulation include selective use of rootstock/scion combination, canopy management and irrigation strategies. However, the impact of these practices on determining the optimum K concentration requires careful calibration of production parameters and the desirable grape juice and wine quality in relation to tissue K concentration. This paper reviews and discusses the possible functions of K in grape berries, translocation of K into the berry, and genetic and cultural factors that may affect the accumulation of K in the berry. This will help to identify the key research and management strategies needed for controlling K concentrations in grape berries.

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Plants can mobilize iron (Fe) in the rhizosphere by non‐specific and specific (adaptive) mechanisms. Non‐specific mechanisms are, for example, rhizosphere acidification related to high cation‐anion uptake ratios, or citric acid excretion. The specific mechanisms are root responses to Fe deficiency and can be classified into two different strategies. The Strategy I is typical for dicots and monocots except for grasses (graminaceous species) and is characterized by increased plasma membrane‐bound reductase activity, enhanced net excretion of protons and enhanced release of reducing compounds, mainly phenolics. The reductase activity is stimulated by low pH, and with supply of FeIII chelates, ferric reduction at the plasma membrane takes place prior to uptake. In contrast, in graminaceous species (Strategy II) these root responses are absent, but enhancement of release of FeIII chelating compounds ‐ phytosiderophores ‐ takes place. These phytosiderophores are very efficient in mobilizing FeIII from artificially prepared sparingly soluble inorganic compounds (e.g. FeIII hydroxide) and from calcareous soils. The ferrated phytosiderophores are taken up by grasses at rates 102 to 103 times higher than Fe supplied either as synthetic chelate or microbial siderophores (e.g. ferrioxamine B), indicating a specific membrane transport system for ferrated phytosiderophores in roots of grasses. In calcareous soils phytosiderophores not only mobilize Fe, but also Zn, Mn, and Cu by chelation. However, only the FeIII phytosiderophores are taken up preferentially by Fe deficient grasses. The ecological advantages and disadvantages of Strategy I and Strategy II for Fe acquisition from calcareous soils are discussed.

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