A review of potassium nutrition in grapevines with special emphasis on berry accumulation

Abstract

Potassium (K) is essential for vine growth and yield. Grape berries are a strong sink for K, particularly during ripening. Excess K levels in grape berries may have a negative impact on wine quality, mainly because it decreases free tartaric acid resulting in an increase in the pH of grape juice, must and wine. In Australia, high K status is common in most vineyards, which reflects the high K and high pH values of most Australian grape juice. This necessitates pH adjustment during the vinification process, and tartaric acid addition is a common practice in most Australian wineries. High K concentration may also lead to excessive loss of the additional tartaric acid by precipitation as potassium bitartrate and, as a consequence, pH adjustment becomes more difficult and expensive. Ensuring naturally low K levels in the berry will help reduce costs of input and waste management at the winery. Potential vineyard management options to manipulate berry K accumulation include selective use of rootstock/scion combination, canopy management and irrigation strategies. However, the impact of these practices on determining the optimum K concentration requires careful calibration of production parameters and the desirable grape juice and wine quality in relation to tissue K concentration. This paper reviews and discusses the possible functions of K in grape berries, translocation of K into the berry, and genetic and cultural factors that may affect the accumulation of K in the berry. This will help to identify the key research and management strategies needed for controlling K concentrations in grape berries.

Guidelines for fertilizer use in vineyards based on nutrient content of grapevine parts

“…Even so, recorded leaf nutrient concentrations are of the same order of magnitude as those found in the literature for blades of the leaves opposite to the cluster and taken at veraison (Davenport et al, 2012;García-Escudero et al, 2013). Previous studies have shown that grapes are the major sink for K after berry growth commences (Mpelasoka et al, 2003;Poni et al, 2003;Mullins et al, 2007). However, clusters contained the highest (rachis) and the lowest (seeds) K concentrated tissues of the vine.…”

“…A strong correlation between K grapevine nutritional status and must attributes has also been observed. Excess K levels in grape berries can result in a high juice pH, with a detrimental impact on wine quality (Mpelasoka et al, 2003;Fogaç a et al, 2007;Assimakopoulou and Tsougrianis, 2012;Cuéllar et al, 2013).…”

Aplicação de nitrogênio em videiras na Campanha Gaúcha: produtividade e características químicas do mosto da uva

“…Este é absorvido pelas videiras e distribuído para as partes em crescimento, entre as quais a baga de uva, que, em virtude do aumento do peso com a dose de N (Tabela 1), favoreceu a acumulação de potássio. Convém relatar que o aumento do potássio na baga de uva e, posteriormente, no mosto, potencializa a formação de bitartarato de potássio no vinho, depreciando a sua qualidade química, como relatado por MPELASOKA et al (2003), em ampla revisão sobre o assunto.…”

Grape yield, and must compounds of 'Cabernet Sauvignon' grapevine in sandy soil with potassium contents increasing

“…These results corroborate with those obtained by BOONTERM & SILAPAPUN (2013), who observed must pH value increase with K application in the soil of the vineyards. In general, must pH values observed in the present study may be considered high, because pH values higher than 3.50 preclude must fermentation, altering organoleptic characteristics, color, flavor and wine oxidation power (MPELASOKA et al, 2003;ROGIERS et al, 2006). TTA in the must of vineyard 5 was higher than that observed in the must of the other vineyards in the 2012/13 harvest.…”

“…High K levels in berries, and consequently in the must, can cause sugars reduction, impairing must fermentation (WALKER & BLACKMORE, 2012), causing must pH elevation and TTA decrease, which increases wine oxidation susceptibility (MPELASOKA et al, 2003). However, in vines grown in most of the wine-growing regions of Brazil, including the RS Campanha, there are few studies on the production influence of K content increase in the soil, and especially in the must composition, which may impact wine composition.…”