Berry Quality of Grapevine under Water Stress as Affected by Rootstock–Scion Interactions through Gene Expression Regulation

Abstract

Despite phenotypic plasticity that allows the adaptation to harsh environments, when vines experience severe abiotic stresses, they can suffer from metabolic damages affecting grape production and quality. Grafting is an affordable strategy to mitigate these negative consequences since the rootstock can increase the drought tolerance in the scion. This work explored the effects of pre-veraison water deficit on vines grafted on different rootstocks (Mgt 101-14 and 1103 Paulsen) to obtain physiological, biochemical, and molecular information about the influence on grape quality. Repeated measurements were carried out to assess vine physiology, production, technological maturity, and berry phenolic composition. qRT-PCRs were executed on berry skins at maturity to assess the expression levels of ten genes and five miRNAs involved in the phenylpropanoid pathway. Water stress caused significant alterations in grape technological maturity. The rootstock effect was not detected in primary metabolism while it was well defined in the accumulation of phenolic compounds in berries (such as anthocyanins). Finally, significant differences were identified in gene and miRNA expression between water-stressed and well-watered vines. In conclusion, the response to water stress can be modulated by rootstocks, which mainly act by regulating secondary metabolism, especially in grapes.

Transcriptomic and biochemical investigations support the role of rootstock-scion interaction in grapevine berry quality

“…Despite the vines were maintained in optimal water conditions during the whole growing season, a clear influence of the rootstock on gene expression and metabolic responses was evident. These differences are much more significant in the case of water deficit because it is almost certain that the influence of the rootstock genotype on the physiological behavior of the scion becomes more appreciable in the presence of water stress [4,10], strongly impacting on gene expression and phenolic compounds accumulation [55].…”

Productiveness and Berry Quality of New Wine Grape Genotypes Grown under Drought Conditions in a Semi-Arid Wine-Producing Mediterranean Region

“…Thus, in hot and dry regions, viticulture cannot be sustained simply by the use of deficit irrigation techniques; it will be necessary to adopt other measures to maintain the sustainability of the system. The selection of suitable plant material (variety/clone and rootstock) from the existing vine biodiversity is one of the most powerful long-term strategies for adapting wine production to water scarcity [ 1 , 3 , 13 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 ]. Another alternative is the development and selection, through directed crosses, of new vines that are better adapted to the specific conditions of the viticulture zone [ 37 , 41 , 42 ] while still showing good agronomic properties, grape quality, and enological characteristics [ 43 , 44 ].…”

Mycorrhizal symbiosis balances rootstock-mediated growth-defence tradeoffs

“…Besides scion variety features, rootstocks are able to strongly affect scion performances by means of water transport, biochemical and molecular processes, impacting the whole plant functions and its response to biotic/abiotic stress factors (Chitarra et al 2017). In the last decade, research on scion/rootstock interactions strongly increased, aiming to develop more sustainable practices against pests and ameliorating plant adaptability to the ongoing climate change (Lovisolo et al 2016;Warschefsky et al 2016;Zombardo et al 2020). Key drivers influencing defence features and adaptive traits are thought to be the microbial communities residing in plant tissues.…”