Foliar Application of an Amino Acid-Enriched Urea Fertilizer on ‘Greco’ Grapevines at Full Veraison Increases Berry Yeast-Assimilable Nitrogen Content

Abstract

Reaching a sufficient yeast assimilable nitrogen (YAN) content in berries at harvest is considered a main viticultural goal for wine-making, because low YANs can slow down must fermentation and have negative effects on wine sensory attributes. For this reason, many attempts have been made to define correct fertilization strategies to stimulate YAN accumulation in the berries. Foliar application of amino acid-enriched urea fertilizer is considered a promising environmentally friendly strategy for improving the yield and nutrient efficiency of plants. The aim of this two-year research was to study the effects of two fertilizers based on urea enriched with amino acids applied at low doses in diverse phenological stages on berry YAN concentration in ‘Greco’ grapevines. The results of this study indicate that amino acid-enriched urea fertilizers induced an increase in YANs in the ‘Greco’ berries at harvest, but only when the application was undertaken at full veraison. Foliar applications applied at veraison onset or post-veraison appeared to be ineffective. In addition, the fertilizers enhanced YAN accumulation in the berry without modifying the other composition parameters measured in this study (total soluble solids, titratable acidity, pH and malic acid). Therefore, the results of our study suggest that foliar application of urea fertilizers enriched with amino acids is an effective strategy to increase yeast-assimilable nitrogen concentration in grapevine berries at harvest.

Blackcurrant Variety Specific Growth and Yield Formation as a Response to Foliar Fertilizers

“…A close relationship between leaf values and nutrient content was found [14]. Based on this and other studies [11,12,14,19], the use of foliar fertilization could state in an improvement in intensive and sustainable blackcurrant cultivation technologies.…”

“…The main environmental concern in the cropping strategies around the world [13] is the pollution elevated by the chemical fertilization use. For a sustainable agriculture, the strategies to improve nutrient uptake, crop performance and economic efficiency are mandatory [14].…”

Plant-Based Biostimulant as Sustainable Alternative to Synthetic Growth Regulators in Two Sweet Cherry Cultivars

“…In this respect, biostimulants are considered to be environmentally friendly, effective, alternative solutions to enhance plant vegetative growth, fruit yield and quality and to increase plant tolerance to abiotic stresses by modulating several aspects of plant physiology (photosynthesis, hormone metabolism, nutrient uptake and translocation, secondary metabolism, etc.) [ 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 ]. Despite the significant amount of research carried out on different fruit tree species [ 30 ], scientific evidence supporting the biostimulant activity on sweet cherry is still poorly explored.…”

Engineered Polyploid Yeast Strains Enable Efficient Xylose Utilization and Ethanol Production in Corn Hydrolysates

“…The seed cultures were obtained as described above, washed with saline and re-suspended in the corn stover hydrolysate containing 1 g/L urea before inoculation (provided by the company), then fermented it at 30°C in a 500-mL flask ( Mataffo et al, 2020 ).…”