Département fédéral de l'économie, de la formation et de la recherche DEFR Agroscope
Hydraulic conductivity and
vulnerability to embolism in grapevine
(cv. Chasselas)
Vivian Zufferey
Station de recherche Agroscope Changins-Wädenswil ACW
Switzerland
Drier summers
and important temperature amplitude (IPCC Report 2007)
- Recurrent Water Stress
- Decline of photosynthetic rate
- Physiological disorders (cavitation, embolism, berry shrivel…) - Incomplete grape ripeness
- Carbohydrate and nitrogen reserves in roots and woods?
- Cultivar sensibility?
Environmental constraints and stress physiology
Valais, Switzerland
Experimental Station in Leytron (Switzerland)
Location: Leytron (Alpine valley, Valais) Cultivar: Chasselas (14/33-4)
Rootstock: 5 BB
Plant density: 5500 vines/ha
Training system: Guyot simple (7 shoots/vine)
Vines: 15 years old
Irrigation treatments:
- Drip-irrigation from bloom to veraison (9L/m2/week) - Drip-irrigation from veraison to harvest (9L/m2/week) - No irrigation
- No irrigation + plastic covered
4 split-plot randomised blocks of 12 vines each
Rainfall: 550 mm / year Soils: stony soils, low water holding capacity
Measurements
- Leaf gas-exchanges (A, gs, E, Rd) Li-Cor 6400XP , Open-system - Plant Water Status
Leaf-Stem-Grape water potential (Ψ)
Hydraulic conductance (Kh) (XYL’EM embolism meter) Stem Sap-flow (heat balance technique)
C-isotopic discrimination (δC13) (berry sugars)
- Growth, Yield, C/N reserves (roots, trunks, canes)
- Wine quality (polyphenols, anthocyanins, aroma) sensoric (7 cultivars)
Day of year ΨΨΨΨPD (MPa)
-1.0 -0.8 -0.6 -0.4 -0.2 0.0
150 180 210 240 270
ΨΨΨΨx midday (MPa) -1.6 -1.2 -0.8 -0.4
Irrigated vines Non-irrigated vines
Non-irrigated vines + plastic covered A
B
gmax (mol m-2 s-1 )
0.0 0.1 0.2 0.3 C 0.4
180 210 240 270 300
Amax(µmol CO2m-2 s-1 )
0 5 10 15 D
Changes in predawn water potential (ΨΨΨΨPD), stem water potential (ΨΨΨΨx), maximum stomatal conductance (gmax)
and in maximum photosynthetic rate (Amax) Chasselas, Leytron 2009
Day of year
150 180 210 240 270
Leaf area / vine (m2 ) 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0
Irrigated vines Non-irrigated vines
Non-irrigated vines + plastic covered
Leaf area per vine during the season
Chasselas, Leytron 2009
Non-irrigated vines and plastic covered in September 2009
Changes in predawn water potential (
ΨΨΨΨPD) and petiole hydraulic conductance (K
petioles)
measured at predawn during the season 2010
Chasselas, Leytron
Day of Year
180 210 240 270 300
Kpetioles (mmol m-1 s-1 MPa-1 )
0 3 6 9 12
Irrigated vines
Non-irrigated vines + plastic covered Predawn
ΨΨΨΨPD (MPa)
-0.8 -0.6 -0.4 -0.2 0.0
Relationship between predawn water potential (ΨΨΨΨPD) and petiole hydraulic conductance (Kpetioles)
measured at predawn
Chasselas, Leytron 2009-2010
Ψ Ψ Ψ
ΨPD (MPa)
-0.8 -0.6
-0.4 -0.2
0.0 Kpetioles (mmol m-1 s-1 MPa-1 )
0 3 6 9 12
Irrigated vines
Non-irrigated vines + plastic covered Predawn
Vulnerability to cavitation
PLC (percent loss of conductivity)
Chasselas, Pully and Leytron 2009
Potentiel hydrique du xylème (MPa) -1.5
-1.0 -0.5
0.0 Perte de conductivité (%)
0 20 40 60 80 100
PETIOLES
rameaux coupés en champ
r2 = 0.92 (p<0.01)
Hydraulic conductivity
and stomatal behaviour in grapevine
Chasselas, Leytron 2009
Percent loss of petiole conductivity (PLC) and stomatal conductance (gs)
Ψ ΨΨ
Ψx (MPa)
-1.5 -1.0
-0.5 0.0
PLC and gs (%)
0 20 40 60 80 100
Irrigated vines Non-irrigated vines
Non-irrigated vines + plastic covered gs PLC
Diurnal courses of VPD,
petiole hydraulic conductance (Kpetioles), vulnerability to petioles cavitation (PLC)
and stem water potential (ΨΨΨΨx)
Chasselas, Leytron, 24/08 and 25/09/2009
Time (h)
6 9 12 15 18 21
ΨΨΨΨx (MPa)
Irrigated vines
PLC
Kpetiole -1-1-1VPD ( (kPa)%)(mmol msMPa) 25.09.09
6 9 12 15 18 21
-1.5 -1.0 -0.5 0 20 40 60 80 2 4 6 8 10 12
0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5
3.0 A 24.08.09 B
C D
E F
G
H
Ψ Ψ Ψ
ΨStemStemStemStem (MPa) -1.5
-1.0 -0.5
0.0 PLC (%)
0 20 40 60 80 100
PETIOLES
-1.5 -1.0
-0.5 STEMS
A B
Vulnerability to cavitation
PLC (percent loss of conductivity) in petioles and stems
Chasselas, Pully and Leytron 2009-2010
Perspectives about stress grapevine physiology:
Improve the knowledge about water and carbon transfer within the plant during water restriction and manifestation of physiological disorders:
vascular anatomy and histology,
hydraulic conductivity and cavitation “fatigue” during the season water and sugar translocation in berries
Tyloses in grapevine vessels Chasselas (K. Gindro, ACW)
Petiole anatomy (irrigated vines) Chasselas (K. Gindro, ACW)
Jansen et al., 2011
