Effect of Deficit Irrigation on Yield Components and Chemical Composition of Albariño Grapes Grown in Galicia, NW Spain

Abstract

In the context of climate change, water management is crucial for controlling the reproductive growth and quality of grapes. In this study, we aim to determine the effects of different water regimes on the yield components and chemical composition of grape Vitis vinifera Albariño grown in Galicia. Four treatments were tested in the trial: rainfed (T0), irrigated at 30% of ETo from veraison to harvest (T1), from pea-size to harvest (T2), and throughout the whole vegetative cycle (T6). To analyse the effects of irrigation, measures of stem water potential (Ψstem) were obtained fortnightly, from flowering to harvest. During the harvest, the average weight per bunch and the number of bunch and yield per vine were determined. In addition, the Ravaz index was also calculated. The grapes from each experimental treatment were subjected to chemical (OIV methods) and volatile composition (GC-MS) analyses. The results indicated a greater yield in the T0 group. The lowest yield was observed for T2 over the three years of the study. The results also showed a stronger influence of year than treatment on Albariño must include chemical composition parameters. Treatment affected malic acid, total acidity, free amino acids (FAN), and assimilable yeast nitrogen (YAN); meanwhile, of the volatile chemical groups analysed, esters, acetates, and volatile acids were affected by the treatment, while the season affected all chemical families of volatile compounds, with the exception of C6 compounds. The interaction effect of Tr × Y was observed on esters, acetates, and total volatile concentration. In the contrast analysis (p < 0.05), we observed increases in alcohols and terpenes in T6 vs. T2; however, esters and acetates were increased under rainfed treatment (T0) vs. T6.

Volatile Characterization of Recovery Minority Varieties from Castilla-La Mancha Region (Spain)

“…Thus, this effect on minority varieties has recently been considered [13], whose results revealed that some of the traditional varieties, cultivated under moderate and severe water stress conditions, are capable of maintaining productions with an adequate phenolic composition, similar to or even more favourable than other varieties more widespread. In the same line, various authors have observed a strong influence on the accumulation of volatiles compounds in different widely cultivated varieties due to the environmental factors, such as water availability, being positively or negatively affected by water stress depends on the family of compounds under study [14][15][16][17]. Nevertheless, the response of volatile composition to water deficit in a great number of recently recovered minority varieties remains unknown.…”

Volatile Characterization of Recovery Minority Grape Varieties from Castilla-La Mancha Region (Spain)

“…Thus, this effect on minority varieties has recently been considered [ 13 ]; the results revealed that some of the traditional varieties, cultivated under moderate and severe water stress conditions, are capable of maintaining productions with an adequate phenolic composition, similar to or even more favorable than other varieties more widespread. In the same line, various authors have observed a strong influence on the accumulation of volatile compounds in different widely cultivated varieties due to environmental factors, such as water availability, being positively or negatively affected by water stress depending on the family of compounds under study [ 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ]. Nevertheless, the response of volatile composition to water deficit in a great number of recently recovered minority varieties remains unknown.…”