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Foliar nutrient sprays are broadly used in commercial agriculture. To date, the application of Ca and Si has been little explored in vineyard production but may lead to positive responses at various levels. Therefore, the aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of supplying single or combined calcium (Ca, 120 mM) and silicon (Si, 120 mM) sprays in Tempranillo grape composition. Foliar treatment with Ca + Si foliar enhanced all families of aromatic compounds, whereas single Ca and Si sprays induced lower effects. Regarding phenolic compounds, all foliar treatments led to minor effects. However, all three foliar Ca and Si treatments increased the total grape amino acid content. Consequently, the application of combined Ca and Si sprays to a vineyard is recommended as a tool for improving grape quality.

Foliar application has been studied to enhance grape composition and, therefore, wine quality. This work examined, for first time, the effects of foliar applications of methyl jasmonate (MeJ) and methyl jasmonate plus urea (MeJ+Ur) to Tempranillo vineyard on wine phenolic, aromatic and nitrogen composition over two vintages (2019 and 2020). A reduction in alcoholic degree was observed in MeJ and MeJ+Ur wines. The effect of foliar treatments was season-dependent. MeJ and MeJ+Ur wines were characterized, in the first vintage, by a higher content of total acylated anthocyanins, but a low content of total esters, alcohols and acids when compared with control wines. MeJ+Ur wines presented a higher total amino acids content than control and MeJ wines. However, in the second vintage, MeJ and MeJ+Ur wines presented an increase in some non-acylated anthocyanins, but only MeJ+Ur treatment increased the total content of flavonols, flavanols, hydroxycinnamic acids, stilbenes and total amino acids when compared with control wines. MeJ wines presented a low content of esters and acids, whereas MeJ+Ur did not show differences with control wines. Overall, the effect of MeJ+Ur foliar treatment was greater than the effect of MeJ application in order to improve the wine chemical composition., This work has been carried out thanks to funding from the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades through the Project RTI2018-096549-B-I00.

BACKGROUND: The grape volatile fraction determines to a great extent its aroma, which is one of the most important characteristics influencing wine quality and consumer preferences. Grapevine downy mildew (GDM) is one of the most important and devastating diseases of grapevines worldwide. In this study, the impact on the volatile composition of cv. Verdicchio grapes of classical copper formulations, was compared to that of alternative products. Thus, 11 treatments were foliar applied throughout one grapevine cycle. RESULTS: Most of the volatile compounds present in the grapes were not affected by the treatments used in order to prevent GDM. In the case of the total C norisoprenoids, some differences were found between grapes untreated control and those applied with the grapefruit seed extract. Moreover, the content of alcohols was smaller in grapes from Bordeaux mixture treatment and higher in the samples from chitosan application. CONCLUSION: Therefore, from the qualitative point of view of the berry, treatment with tested products alternative to copper is recommended, which minimize the environmental and health problems that this heavy metal brings to the soil and in the winery, since it means that their applications did not affect the grape aroma.

The phenolic, aromatic and nitrogen composition of a wine determines its organoleptic profile and quality. Elicitors have been used as a tool to stimulate the plant’s defense systems, favoring the synthesis of secondary metabolites. In this pioneering study, the elicitor methyl jasmonate in conventional form (MeJ) and in nanoparticle form (ACP-MeJ), with a concentration ten times lower, was applied in a Tempranillo vineyard over two seasons. The phenolic, nitrogen and volatile composition and the sensory properties of the MeJ-based wines were determined. The results showed that the effects of foliar applications of MeJ modify the wine composition. Thus, although the total concentration of most of the groups of phenolic compounds was not altered, several compounds, such as petunidin-3-glucoside, quercetin-3-glucoside, epigallocatechin and most of the stilbenes, increased, in both years, in the treated wines. Amino acids were influenced differently in each of the years studied, and volatile compounds generally did not improve in the treated wines. However, the ACP-MeJ wines were the best rated by the tasters, highlighting their equilibrium on the taste and their genuineness and odor quality. Therefore, foliar applications of ACP-MeJ can be considered a useful tool to improve wine quality., This work has been carried out thanks to funding from the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades through the Projects RTI2018-096549-B-I00 and RTI-2018-095794-A-C22.

The use of nanomaterials for the efficient delivery of active species in viticulture is still an unexplored opportunity. Nitrogen, an essential nutrient for grapevine development and wine quality, is commonly provided in the form of urea. However, the application of conventional fertilisers contributes to nitrate leaching and denitrification, thus polluting groundwater and causing a serious environmental impact. Nanotechnology is offering smart solutions towards more sustainable and efficient agriculture. In the present work, we assessed the efficiency of nontoxic amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP) nanoparticles as nanocarriers of urea (U-ACP) through field experiments on Tempranillo grapevines. Four treatments were foliarly applied: U-ACP nanofertiliser (0.4 kg N ha-1 ), commercial urea solutions at 3 and 6 kg N ha-1 (U3 and U6) and a control treatment (water). Results: The grapes harvested from plants treated with U-ACP and U6 provided similar levels of yeast assimilable nitrogen, despite the very large reduction of nitrogen dosage. The concentration of amino acids was greater in U-ACP-treated plants than those of the control and U3 treatments and, barring a few exceptions, the values were comparable with those observed in grapes obtained following U6 treatment. Nanofertilisers provided a high arginine concentration in the musts but low proline concentrations in comparison to the U6 treatment. Conclusions: The results of this work show the potential benefits of nanotechnology over conventional practices for nitrogen fertilisation. Significantly, the application of U-ACP allowed a considerable reduction of nitrogen dosage to maintain the quality of the harvest, thereby mitigating the environmental impact. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry., EPP‐Á and TG‐C are funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (MCIU/AEI/FEDER). This work was also partially funded by MCIU/AEI/FEDER with the projects NanoSmart (RYC‐2016‐21042) and NanoVIT (RTI‐2018‐095794‐A‐C22) and by Fondazione CARIPLO (project no. 2016‐0648: Romancing the stone: size‐controlled HYdroxyaPATItes for sustainable Agriculture – HYPATIA). GBR‐R also acknowledges the Spanish MCIU for her postdoctoral contract within the Juan de la Cierva Program (JdC‐2017).

[Background] Seaweed application has been defined as a novel technique capable of improving the content of secondary metabolites in berries. There is limited available information about its effects on must and wine volatile composition. This field trial aimed to study the effects of biostimulation to Tempranillo grapevines through an Ascophyllum nodosum fertilizer applied at a low dosage (Ld) and high dosage (Hd) on must and wine volatile compounds over two seasons. [Results]: Ld treatment scarcely affected must and wine volatile compounds in both seasons. Hd foliar application increased the content in musts of several individual terpenoids, C norisoprenoids, esters, benzenoids, alcohols, carbonyl compounds and C6 compounds in 2018. Must yeast assimilable nitrogen conditioned the production of wine volatile compounds. [Conclusion]: These results suggest that seaweeds applications can act as elicitors in Tempranillo, triggering the synthesis of several compounds by the plant in musts during a season with a high rainfall and relative humidity., Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities

[Background] Seaweeds are defined as novel elicitors in many crops, allowing the synthesis of secondary metabolites to be triggered in different plant tissues. Currently, the phenolic composition of Tempranillo Blanco grapes and wines is unreported. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of an Ascophyllum nodosum seaweed extract applied to Tempranillo Blanco grapevines, at low (Ld) and high (Hd) dosages, on grape and wine phenolic compounds during two consecutive seasons (2017–2018). [Results] The results obtained showed that catechin was the most abundant phenolic compound in Tempranillo Blanco grapes and wines. Season affected the weight of 100 berries and some enological parameters. Catechin and flavonols concentrations in grapes were increased after Hd application to grapevines, independently of season. The concentration of hydroxycinnamic and hydroxybenzoic acids in wines was affected by vintage, probably as a result of oxidation reactions, as well as pinking phenomena, whereas the stilbenes content in wines was conditioned by the affect of cryptogamic diseases in grapes. [Conclusion] Seaweeds might act as an elicitor of several phenolic compounds in grapes, enhancing the content of some phenolic compounds in wines., Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities

[Background] Soil and climate are among the most determining factors for the composition of grapes. Among the compounds present in grapes, anthocyanins mainly determine their organoleptic and health‐related properties. The purpose of this work was to study the influence of three different soils on the anthocyanin content of Tempranillo grapes (Vitis vinifera L.) from 2016 and 2017 vintages. The soils of the vineyards were classified as Fluventic Haploxerepts (FH), Typic Calcixerepts (TC) and Petrocalcic Palexerolls (PP). [Results] Non‐acylated anthocyanins, and those derived from malvidin and peonidin, were the most abundant in grapes, regardless of soil type and year. During the wetter season (2016), the grapes with the highest concentration of total anthocyanins and several of the major anthocyanins were those from TC and PP soils, in which nitrogen availability was lower than that in FH soil. However, during the drier season (2017), no significant differences were observed, although trends similar to those seen in the 2016 season were recognized. Principal component analysis showed a good separation of samples according to the two seasons and to the three soils in each season. [Conclusion] In vineyards that resemble each other closely and that are located in a unique mesoclimatic area where similar plant material is used and similar managements practices are applied, soil characteristics, which condition water holding capacity and nitrogen availability for the vines, in conjunction with seasonal conditions, were the factors that predominantly determined the anthocyanin composition in grapes. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry, This work has been financed by the Government of La Rioja and the European Union (FEDER funds). The authors are grateful for the collaboration of Bodegas Patrocinio de Uruñuela (La Rioja). E.P. P.‐Á. and T. G.‐C. thank MINECO for the financing of their contracts.