Improving water use efficiency of vineyards in semi-arid regions. A review

Abstract

Water is critical for viticulture sustainability since grape production, quality and economic viability are largely dependent on water availability. The total water consumption of vineyards, 300 to 700 mm, is generally higher than the annual average precipitation in many viticultural areas, which induces a risk for sustainability of vineyards. Improving vineyard water use efficiency (WUE) is therefore crucial for a sustainable viticulture industry in semi-arid regions. Increased sustainability of water resources for vineyards can be achieved using both agronomical technology and cultivar selection. Here, we review advances in grapevine water use efficiency related to changes in agronomical practices and genetic improvements. Agronomical practices focus on increasing green water use by increasing soil water storage capacity, reducing direct soil water loss, or limiting early transpiration losses. Cover crops for semi-arid areas show a favorable effect, but careful management is needed to avoid excessive water consumption by the cover crop. Canopy management practices to reduce excessive water use are also analyzed. This is a genetic based review focused on identifying cultivars with higher WUE.

Estimation of Evapotranspiration and Crop Coefficients of Tendone Vineyards Using Multi-Sensor Remote Sensing Data in a Mediterranean Environment

“…These results further support the need for setting Kc values for the new climate change projections, as well as agronomic practices aimed at the enhancement of soil water availability (i.e., mulching, netting, and biochar) [11,22,63].…”

“…Timely and accurate estimation of table grapes' water requirements are paramount for adequate irrigation scheduling and irrigation planning, to regulate the appropriate balance between vegetative growth, yield, and berry composition, and to save water. Furthermore, in dry areas the enhanced pressure on water resources with other uses requires an improvement of environmental sustainability of grapevine production according to future climate change scenarios [11].…”

Above Ground Drip Application Practices Alter Water Productivity of Malbec Grapevines under Sustained Deficit

“…A majority of global winegrape (Vitis vinifera L.) production is located in semi-arid regions where sustainability relies upon efficient use of limited water resources (Medrano et al, 2015). In wine-producing regions that experience summer drought, irrigation is commonly used to optimize vine balance and manage fruit quality (Chaves et al, 2010).…”

“…Deficit irrigation is widely used as a method to sustain crop productivity under water scarcity. Sustained (SDI) and regulated (RDI) deficit irrigation and partial root-zone drying (PRD) are deficit irrigation strategies used in winegrape production to improve water use efficiency (Fereres & Soriano 2007;Medrano et al, 2015). Water productivity is the amount of marketable product produced per unit of supplied water and it is a measure of water use efficiency at the crop level (Fereres & Soriano, 2007;Davies et al, 2011;Medrano et al, 2015).…”

“…Sustained (SDI) and regulated (RDI) deficit irrigation and partial root-zone drying (PRD) are deficit irrigation strategies used in winegrape production to improve water use efficiency (Fereres & Soriano 2007;Medrano et al, 2015). Water productivity is the amount of marketable product produced per unit of supplied water and it is a measure of water use efficiency at the crop level (Fereres & Soriano, 2007;Davies et al, 2011;Medrano et al, 2015). The marketable product produced from winegrapes is the harvested fruit so seasonal water productivity in winegrape can be measured as the relationship between the Ravaz index (ratio of yield to pruning weight) and the amount of supplied water (Davies et al, 2011;Shellie, 2014).…”