Nitrogen fertilization of ‘Chardonnay’ grapevines: yield, must composition and their relationship with temperature and rainfall

Abstract

In soils rich in organic matter (OM), such as those in the elevations of South Brazil, the mineralized N from organic matter does not always meet the N demands of grapevines, thus, N applications are necessary during vine growth. However, the optimal N rate to achieve satisfactory yield and desirable grape enological composition is not known. The study aimed to evaluate yield and must composition of grapevine subjected to N applications, in relation to temperature and rainfall. The experiment was conducted in a vineyard planted in 2003 in the city of Água Doce, located in the Midwest region of the state of Santa Catarina, southern Brazil. The cultivar 'Chardonnay' grafted on rootstock 1103 Paulsen, planted in clay, high-OM soil was trained as a spur pruned cordon system. From 2011 to 2014, the grapevines were submitted to the application of N as urea at the following rates: 0, 20, 40, 80 and 120 kg N ha -1 split at bud sprout and full bloom. Leaves, collected at flowering and veraison, were dried, milled and analyzed for total N. At harvest, the number of clusters per plant and yield were recorded. Total soluble solids, titratable acidity, pH and tartaric acid were evaluated on must. Temperature and rainfall data were collected throughout the experiment. The application of N increased N concentration in leaves but had little effect on yield and must composition. According to principal component analysis, a negative correlation between rainfall and N in must was found.

Prediction of Nitrogen Dosage in ‘Alicante Bouschet’ Vineyards with Machine Learning Models

“…The rye green manure left on the soil surface (2 t dry matter ha −1 providing 82 kg N ha −1 ) was also shown to contribute less than 2% to biomass N in the annual and perennial grape organs 28 weeks following fertilizer application [60]. Previous N fertilization can contribute later to N supply through microbial N transformation into organic N, followed by the mineralization of organic N [8,61].…”

Application of foliar urea to grapevines: productivity and flavour components of grapes

“…Soil texture also affects water permeability, percolation rates and NO 3 − leaching into groundwater which is faster in sandy soils (Lorensini et al 2012, Gutiérrez‐Gamboa et al 2020, Stefanello et al 2020a). Vineyards located in tropical and subtropical regions, where rainfall is more frequent, or even at higher air temperature, N fertiliser management should be planned carefully to favour the reduction of losses due to NO 3 − leaching and NH 3 volatilisation (Lorensini et al 2012, Brunetto et al 2018, Stefanello et al 2020a). Fertigation, as well as foliar urea application, may be a potential tool for vineyards cultivated in sandy soils in which N incorporation is complex due to soil texture (Stefanello et al 2020a, b).…”

“…Urea holds intrinsic characteristics to be used as foliar fertiliser, such as being an uncharged molecule, being highly soluble in water, and being rapidly and efficiently absorbed by leaves (Lasa et al 2012). Several reports have shown that foliar application of urea to grapevines may affect basal bud fertility, stored N reserves, the amino acids concentration of grapes, chlorophyll, carotenoids, volatile and phenolic substances, including stilbenes, and grape microbiota (Verdenal et al 2016, Baldi et al 2017, Portu et al 2017, 2018, Brunetto et al 2018, Gutiérrez‐Gamboa et al 2018b, Rubio‐Bretón et al 2018). Also, studies report that foliar application of N in vineyards was considered an effective means to increase the concentration of yeast assimilable N (YAN) (Moss 2016).…”