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Am. J. Enol. Vitic. 60:2:189-198 (2009)
Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Enology and Viticulture.
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Photosynthetic and Photoinhibition Behavior of Two Field-Grown Grapevine Cultivars under Multiple Summer Stresses

Alberto Palliotti1,*, Oriana Silvestroni2 and Despoina Petoumenou3

1 Associate professor, 3 Ph.D., Università degli Studi di Perugia, Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie e Ambientali, Borgo XX Giugno 74, 06128 Perugia, Italy; 2 Professor, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Dipartimento di Scienze Ambientali e delle Produzioni Vegetali, Via Brecce Bianche, 60131 Ancona, Italy.

Acknowledgments: The authors gratefully acknowledge the Azienda Vinicola Umani Ronchi (Osimo, Ancona, Italy) for the use of their commercial vineyard. The authors thank Stefano Poni for critical reading of the manuscript and helpful discussions and Chris Berrie for editorial assistance and critical appraisal of the manuscript.

* Corresponding author (email: palliot{at}unipg.it; fax: +39-0755-856255)

The identification of drought-resistant genotypes of Vitis vinifera that can optimize their water use is attracting increasing interest, especially in areas where it is difficult to extend irrigation and that are undergoing a progressive shift toward subtropicalization. This study was carried out in 2003 (a year characterized by severe drought conditions) and 2004 (characterized by absence of drought conditions) to evaluate the changes in morphostructural characteristics and physiological behavior of two red grapevine cultivars widely cultivated in Italy: Sangiovese and Montepulciano. Unlike 2004, data recorded during 2003 showed that, contrary to Montepulciano vines, the vertical shoot-positioned canopy of Sangiovese vines was divided into two different zones. The basal zone was close to the fruiting zone, featured low carbon gain, and was characterized by 57% of leaves affected by chlorosis and necrosis, while the remaining leaves were affected by chronic photoinhibition (Fv/Fm <0.50). The upper zone was characterized by high photosynthetic activity and water-use efficiency. The changes in leaf inclination and lower leaf absorption and the greater leaf transmittance in Sangiovese leaves appeared to help in the avoidance of excessive light and heat absorption. Irrespective of their positions, the leaves of Montepulciano promptly closed their stomata and saved water, while reducing their physiological activity. Results indicate that grapevine strategies in response to multiple and severe summer stress conditions are a function of genotype, leaf age, and leaf position along the shoot. Unlike Montepulciano, under drought conditions, Sangiovese can be considered to be well adapted, since it can optimize the whole-vine carbon gain.

Key words: chlorophyll fluorescence, drought, grape composition, leaf orientation, photoinhibition, photosynthetic pigments, Vitis vinifera






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Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Enology and Viticulture.