Growth, Yield and Fruit Quality of Grapevines under Organic and Biodynamic Management

Abstract

The main objective of this study was to determine growth, yield and fruit quality of grapevines under organic and biodynamic management in relation to integrated viticultural practices. Furthermore, the mechanisms for the observed changes in growth, yield and fruit quality were investigated by determining nutrient status, physiological performance of the plants and disease incidence on bunches in three consecutive growing seasons. A field trial (Vitis vinifera L. cv. Riesling) was set up at Hochschule Geisenheim University, Germany. The integrated treatment was managed according to the code of good practice. Organic and biodynamic plots were managed according to Regulation (EC) No 834/2007 and Regulation (EC) No 889/2008 and according to ECOVIN- and Demeter-Standards, respectively. The growth and yield of the grapevines differed strongly among the different management systems, whereas fruit quality was not affected by the management system. The organic and the biodynamic treatments showed significantly lower growth and yield in comparison to the integrated treatment. The physiological performance was significantly lower in the organic and the biodynamic systems, which may account for differences in growth and cluster weight and might therefore induce lower yields of the respective treatments. Soil management and fertilization strategy could be responsible factors for these changes. Yields of the organic and the biodynamic treatments partially decreased due to higher disease incidence of downy mildew. The organic and the biodynamic plant protection strategies that exclude the use of synthetic fungicides are likely to induce higher disease incidence and might partially account for differences in the nutrient status of vines under organic and biodynamic management. Use of the biodynamic preparations had little influence on vine growth and yield. Due to the investigation of important parameters that induce changes especially in growth and yield of grapevines under organic and biodynamic management the study can potentially provide guidance for defining more effective farming systems.

1 H NMR foodomics reveals that the biodynamic and the organic cultivation managements produce different grape berries ( Vitis vinifera L. cv. Sangiovese)

“…In addition, Döring, et al (2015) observed similar yields in vines under biodynamic and organic farming; however, these cultivation methods showed lower values when compared to the integrated management. Scant information is available on the characteristics of biodynamic grapes and wine (Collins, et al, 2015;Parpinello, Rombolà, Simoni, & Versari, 2015;Plahuta & Raspor, 2007;Reeve, et al, 2005;Ross, Weller, Blue, & Reganold, 2009;Tassoni, Tango, & Ferri, 2013.…”

“…In the white cv. Riesling no differences on must soluble solids, pH and total acidity were detected among organic, biodynamic and integrated treatments, whereas α-amino-acids changed according to the cultivation method (Döring et al, 2015).…”

“…In a study conducted on cv. Riesling this parameter did not differ between ORG and BD vines (Döring et al, 2015). The different effects of the cultivation method could be related to plant water status and genotypic responsiveness toward it (Chaves et al, 2010).…”

“…Few scientific studies have been devoted to understand the effects of biodynamic preparations/method on plant physiology and yield (Botelho, Roberti, Tessarin, Garcia-Mina, & Rombolà, 2015;Collins, Penfold , Johnston, Marschner, & Bastian, 2015;Döring, Frisch, Tittmann, Stoll, & Kauer, 2015;Rombolà, Tassarin, Tumbarello, Parpinello, & Versari, 2015), edible parts composition and nutritional value (Turinek, Grobelnik-Mlakar, Bavec, & Bavec, 2009). Recently it has been reported that some biodynamic preparations led to an increase in leaf enzymatic activities of chitinase and β-1,3-glucanase, which are typically correlated with plant biotic and abiotic stresses and associated with induced plant resistance (Botelho, et al, 2015;Reeve, Carpenter-Boggs, Reganold, York, McGourty, & McCloskey, 2005).…”

Expectation or Sensorial Reality? An Empirical Investigation of the Biodynamic Calendar for Wine Drinkers

“…Despite these difficulties, a longitudinal study over 21 years that compared biodynamic, bioorganic, and conventional farming practices in Switzerland [6] reported enhanced soil fertility and increased biodiversity in their organic plots relative to the conventionally farmed plots. However, in a recent viticultural study [7], fruit quality was reported as not influenced by the organic and biodynamic management systems investigated. In terms of wine production, one of the few studies comparing biodynamic and organic viticulture that has been published in a peer-reviewed journal reported no consistent differences in any of the physical, chemical, and biological parameters measured [8].…”