Abstract
In red varieties, berry color change from green to red is one of the first events associated with ripening and is often used as an indicator of veraison by viticulturists. Water deficit can accelerate ripening and increase pigment accumulation in the berry skin. The impact of water deficit on the timing and progression of berry color change in the vineyard has been largely overlooked. Here we present three years of observations (2011 to 2013) on the progression of color change in Merlot vines subjected to water deficit (WD) or irrigation (C) regimes. Water deficit did not affect the date at which berries started changing color in 2011 and 2012, but pigmentation began three days earlier in WD than in C vines in 2013. Water deficit accelerated pigmentation in all three years and WD berries completed color change five days earlier than C berries on average.
- ©2016 by the American Society for Enology and Viticulture
Sign in for ASEV members
ASEV Members, please sign in at ASEV to access the journal online.
Sign in for Institutional and Non-member Subscribers
Log in using your username and password
Pay Per Article - You may access this article (from the computer you are currently using) for 2 day for US$10.00
Regain Access - You can regain access to a recent Pay per Article purchase if your access period has not yet expired.