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

Abstract

An objective of this study was to identify above ground drip application practices for winegrape that increase water productivity and mitigate water deficit-associated loss of yield. The influence of irrigation frequency on water productivity under two severities of sustained deficit irrigation was evaluated in field grown Malbec grapevines (Vitis vinifera L.) over three growing seasons. A weekly amount of water was delivered in a single irrigation event (1X) or apportioned into thirds and delivered in three irrigation events per week (3X). The least severe deficit (STD) had a 3-yr average maximum duty cycle (ratio of irrigation duration to irrigation interval) of 0.3, and vines irrigated 3X relative to 1X had higher water productivity each year due to a decrease in pruning weight. The most severe deficit (STD50) had a 3-yr average maximum duty cycle of 0.02 and vines irrigated 1X relative to 3X had higher water productivity due to a reduction in pruning weight in 2012 and an increase in yield in 2013. The fruit produced from vines irrigated at the frequency with highest water productivity under each deficit severity contained a lower concentration of anthocyanins. While treatment combinations did not alleviate a water-stress associated reduction in yield, results provided new information about grapevine water use efficiency that can be used to select combinations of irrigation frequencies and duty cycles with potential for increasing water productivity.

The Effect of Irrigation-Initiation Timing on the Phenolic Composition and Overall Quality of Cabernet Sauvignon Wines Grown in a Semi-Arid Climate

“…The annual water amounts applied were 113 mm/season for the budbreak treatment ( Table 1 ), and 20 mm/season for the late irrigation treatment (−1.2 MPa). These results represent the ranges of common practice for premium vineyard irrigation in Israel, and are in accordance with the reported deficit irrigated vineyards found in similar climate regions [ 23 , 25 , 27 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 ]…”

Effect of timing of irrigation initiation on vegetative growth, physiology and yield parameters in Cabernet Sauvignon grapevines

“…The combination of high seasonal ET and moderate winter rainfall, and a yearly trend of diminishing spring precipitation from 2014 to 2017 (Table 1), led to gradual development of drought-stress conditions in the experimental vineyard. A seasonal water amount of 37-131 mm/season, applied via the drip line to the vines in different irrigation treatments, is typical for deficit-irrigated vineyards in regions with similar climate (Acevedo-Opazo et al 2010, Santesteban et al 2011, Zarrouk et al 2012, Romero et al 2013, Buesa et al 2017, Shellie 2017, and is also representative of local agricultural practices.…”