Rootstock mediated responses of grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) metabolism and physiology to combined water deficit and salinity stress in Syrah grafts

Abstract

Water deficit and salinity are increasingly affecting the viticulture and wine industry. These two stresses are intimately related; understanding the physiological and metabolic responses of grapevines to water deficit, salinity and combined stress is critical for developing strategies to mitigate the negative impacts of these stresses on wine grape production. These strategies can include selecting more tolerant grapevine cultivars and graft combinations, improving irrigation management, and using soil amendments to reduce the effects of salinity. For this purpose, understanding the response of grapevine metabolism to altered water balance and salinity is of pivotal importance. Hence, we used cv. Syrah grafted on rootstocks 1103 Paulsen and SO4, under a set of combinations of salinity (0.5 and 2.5 dS m-1) and differential irrigation levels (66%, 100% and 133% of the local recommended irrigation amount) in an experimental vineyard located on Sede Boqer, Israel at 30051’22.37” N and 34046’52.98” E with an elevation of 480 m.a.s.l. SO4 grafts generally produced a higher yield than 1103Paulsen grafts, while accumulating more Cl- ions in wine and leaves. These results may suggest different salt exclusion potentials. Spectrophotometric readings showed that high salinity with deficit irrigation increased tannins and reduced carotenoid content in the berries. In addition, a lower fluorescence and photosystem efficiency under stress were recorded in 1103 Paulsen vines. GC-MS-based profiling of central metabolism showed the accumulation of major sugars and amino acids. For example, under salinity stress, proline and alanine relative content increased while lysine, valine, and leucine content decreased irrespectively of the rootstock. Grafts of 1103 Paulsen showed greater accumulation of N-compounds being pyroglutamate, leucine, valine, ethanolamine, sugars including xylose and trehalose, and few other metabolites (cinnamate, lactate, and galactarate) when compared to SO4 grafts. Altogether, our results show multi-level differences in Syrah metabolism and physiology due to the rootstock mediation of salinity and water deficit combined stress.

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