G. Ferrara1, A. Mazzeo1, A.M.S. Matarrese1, C. Pacucci1, V. Gallo2,3 1Dipartimento di Scienze del Suolo, della Pianta e degli Alimenti - University of Bari ‘Aldo Moro’, via Amendola 165/A - 70126 Bari (Italy) 2DICATECh, Politecnico di Bari, via Orabona 4 – 70125 Bari (Italy) 3Innovative Solutions S.r.l. – Spin Off company of Politecnico di Bari, zona H 150/B Noci (Bari, Italy)

INTRODUCTION In Italy, 41% of table grape area is cultivated with cultivar Italia with a yield of 574,000 tons (Puglia Region, 2010). Puglia, in Southeastern Italy, is the most important region for table grape production (32,450 ha) and ‘Italia’ table grape (15,000 ha) is one of most important cultivars in the overall regional table grape production (ISMEA, 2012).

INTRODUCTION

Berry size is the main quality factor affecting sales of table grapes in international markets.

Crop load Berry thinning

Trunk girdling Plant growth regulators

Removing a ring of bark from either the trunk or cane

Restriction of movement of assimilates from aerial portion to roots

Sap flow to buds, clusters. The interruption of the phloem is temporary.

GIRDLING

LARGER BERRY

Plant hormones

Plant growth regulators (PGRs)

GIBBERELLIC ACID (GA3)

FORCHLORFENURON (CPPU)

Auxins, gibberellins cytokinins, ethylene, abscisic acid, jasmonic acid, etc.

Natural origin Synthetic

INCREASE OF RNA SYNTHESIS

INCREASE OF PROETINS SYNTHESIS

STIMULATION OF CELL ELONGATION AND DIVISION

HIGHER SUGAR AND WATER INTAKE INTO THE CELLS

GA3 & table grape

Increase of weight and size of the

berry

INCREASE OF RNA SYNTHESIS

INCREASE OF PROETINS SYNTHESIS

BERRY ENLARGMENT INTAKE OF ASSIMILATES FROM THE PHLOEM

CPPU & table grape

Increase of weight and size of the

berry

Qualitative parameters

GA3

Morphological analyses

Chemical analyses

GIRDLING

Yield

Metabolomic approach

CPPU

LOCATION: Commercial vineyard in Turi (Bari province)

2011 and 2012

CULTIVAR: ITALIA grafted onto 34 E.M

•Overhead trellis system •Space: 2.4 m x 2.4 m •Year of plantation: 2002 •Vines/ha: 1740

TREATMENTS: T1: control T2: cane girdling T3: gibberellic acid, GA3 (Berelex) T4: forchlorfenuron, CPPU (Sitofex)

APPLICATION: motorized sprayer (volume 1000 L/ha)

PHENOLOGICAL PHASE AND TIME OF TREATMENT

BERRY GROWTH

Berry Ø: 10 – 11 mm

T2: cane girdling T4: forchlorfenuron (Sitofex)

Berry Ø: 11 – 12 mm

T3: gibberellic acid (Berelex)

T3 T1 T2

T3 T1 T2

T3 T1 T2

T4 T2 T1

T4 T2 T1

T4 T2 T1

T1 T4 T3

T1 T4 T3

T1 T4 T3

T2 T3 T4

T2 T3 T4

T2 T3 T4

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN

Row 1 Row 2 Row 3

T1: control T2: cane girdling T3: gibberellic acid (Berelex) T4: forchlorfenuron (Sitofex)

• 60 berries/block •(20 berries/vine)

• 180 berries/treatment

SAMPLING DATES

2011

• 7 July • 1 August • 5 September • 3 October (harvest)

2012

• 17 July • 30 July • 20 August • 4 September • 2 October (harvest)

BERRIES ANALYSES

morphological chemical qualitative

• diameter (mm) • length (mm) • weight (g)

• TSS (° Brix) • pH • TA (g/L tartaric acid)

• firmness (N) • detachment force (N) • colour

metabolomic

•primary metabolites: sugars, organic acids, aminoacids

RESULTS 2011

Size parameters

23.8 b 25.7 a 25.6 a 24.8 ab

28.1 29.5 28.9 29.1

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Control Girdling GA3 CPPU

Size

(m

m)

Diameter Length

10.8 b

12.6 a

12.0 ab

11.1 ab

10

11

12

13

Control Girdling GA3 CPPU

We

igh

t (g

)

Chemical parameters

17.1 a 17.2 a

15.7 b

16.9 ab

14

15

16

17

18

Control Girdling GA3 CPPU

TSS

(°B

rix)

3.87 3.74 3.61 3.75

0

1

2

3

4

5

Control Girdling GA3 CPPU

pH

6.8 a

5.8 b

6.1 b 6.2 b

4

5

6

7

8

Control Girdling GA3 CPPU

TA (

g/L

tart

aric

aci

d)

Quality parameters

2.4

2.7

3.2 3.0

0

1

2

3

4

Control Girdling GA3 CPPU

Firm

ne

ss (N

)

8.04 8.30

8.44 8.57

5

6

7

8

9

Control Girdling GA3 CPPU

BD

F (N

)

L* C* h°

Control 41.9 ± 2.0 ab 11.6 ± 1.7 106.4 ± 4.1 c

Girdling 42.6 ± 2.3 a 11.2 ± 2.2 108.7 ± 5.9 bc

GA3 42.1 ± 1.9 ab 11.2 ± 1.7 111.9 ± 3.9 a

CPPU 41.3 ± 2.0 b 10.7 ± 1.8 110.5 ± 4.4 ab

Color

> Lightness

669.3 b

745.1 a 744.2 a 740.7 a

620

640

660

680

700

720

740

760

Control Girdling GA3 CPPU

Clu

ste

r w

eig

ht

(g)

23.43 b

26.08 a 26.05 a 25.92 a

15

17

19

21

23

25

27

Control Girdling GA3 CPPU

Yie

ld/v

ine

(kg

)

Zabadal e Budovc, 2006 Fidan et al., 1994

Metabolomics by NMR 2011

PCA applied to NMR data (generated from the regions of sugars and organic acids)

Girdling Higher FRUCTOSE content

Black: control Blue: GA3

Green: girdling Red: CPPU

glucose

Tartaric and malic acids

fructose PC1

PC2

PC1

PC2

Scores plot Loadings plot

PCA applied to NMR data (generated from the regions of sugars and organic acids)

Scores plot

Arginine

Proline

Loadings plot

PCA applied to NMR data (generated from the region of amino acids)

Scores plot

Black: control Blue: GA3

Green: girdling Red: CPPU

PC1

PC2

PC1

PC2

Ethanol

Metabolomics by NMR 2011

RESULTS 2012

Size parameters

23.3 b

24.7 a 24.3 a

24.8 a

26.2 b

27.5 a 27.2 a 27.2 a

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

Control Girdling GA3 CPPU

Size

(m

m)

Diameter Length

8.8 b

10.2 a

9.8 a

10.2 a

8

9

10

11

Control Girdling GA3 CPPU

We

igh

t (g

)

Chemical parameters

17.4 17.3

17.8 17.8

14

15

16

17

18

Control Girdling GA3 CPPU

TSS

(°B

rix)

3.26 a 3.28 a 3.20 b 3.28 a

0

1

2

3

4

Control Girdling GA3 CPPU

pH

6.6

6.1 6.3

6.0

4

5

6

7

8

Control Girdling GA3 CPPU

TA (

g/L

tart

aric

aci

d)

Quality parameters

3.4

2.8

3.3 3.3

0

1

2

3

4

Control Girdling GA3 CPPU

Firm

ne

ss (N

)

8.06

8.33 8.46

8.59

5

6

7

8

9

Control Girdling GA3 CPPU

BD

F (N

)

L* C* h°

Control 42.4 ± 2.0 B 10.6 ± 1.6 109.9 ± 5.2

Girdling 43.1 ± 2.3 A 10.7 ± 1.7 108.8 ± 6.4

GA3 41.9 ± 2.0 B 10.4 ± 1.9 110.1 ± 5.1

CPPU 42.2 ± 2.0 B 10.6 ± 1.6 110.2 ± 5.0

> Lightness Same color of the skin

Color

551.8 b

610.1 ab 603.3 ab

714.3 a

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

Control Girdling GA3 CPPU

Clu

ste

r w

eig

ht

(g)

21.0 b

23.2 ab 22.9 ab

25.7 a

15

17

19

21

23

25

27

Control Girdling GA3 CPPU

Yie

ld/v

ine

(kg

)

Zabadal e Budovc, 2006 Fidan et al., 1994

Girdling

GA3

CPPU

Higher sugars/organic acids

Glucose and fructose

Tartaric and malic acids

Metabolomics by NMR 2012

PCA applied to NMR data (generated from the regions of sugars and organic acids)

Scores plot Loadings plot

PCA applied to NMR data (generated from the regions of sugars and organic acids)

Scores plot

Black: control Blue: GA3

Green: girdling Red: CPPU

PC1

PC2

PC1

PC2

No significant effects on amino acids composition

Metabolomics by NMR 2012

PCA applied to NMR data (generated from the regions of sugars and organic acids)

Scores plot Loadings plot

PCA applied to NMR data (generated from the regions of amino acids)

Scores plot

Black: control Blue: GA3

Green: girdling Red: CPPU

PC1

PC2

PC1

PC2

2011 vs 2012

• Berry size larger in 2011 with respect to 2012 • Control berries smaller than treated ones • No differences for chemical parameters with the exception of pH, lower in 2012 (3.26) with respect to 2011 (3.74) • Berry firmness and detachment forces similar in the two years • Samples collected during 2011 possess higher sugars to acids ratio with respect to samples in 2012 • Samples collected during 2011 possess higher arginine content with respect to samples in 2012

CONCLUSIONS

•Girdling and PGRs significantly affected size of the berry and yield/vine •Limited influence on chemical parameters •PGRs affected the color of the berry skin •On the basis of our results and literature, an unappropriated use of PGRs may lead to negative qualitative characteristics •Season is a key factor