Quality of Grapevines – Endogenous and Exogenous Factors and Their Differing Influences

Abstract

Viticulture as part of agricultural cropping systems needs specific growing conditions. In particular grapevines need a specific climate and monitoring due to plant diseases. Currently, production philosophy changed from a high yielding practice to a high quality production, accepting as a consequence also lower yields. Mineral nutrition of grapevines forms the grass-roots level of yield oriented as well as of quality oriented production. Under those circumstances it is necessary to know the nutrient demands of this crop to make the proper decisions for fertilization and quality to be achieved. The mineral nutrients (kg/ha) taken up by medium – heavy crop (75-100 hL must/ha) are as follows: N – 65-75, P – 5-10, K – 65-85. Bunches alone remove: N – 25-30, P – 2-4, and K – 40-50. Figures for total uptake may serve as a general guideline for fertilization. In practice uptake rhythm of the different nutrients is more important, which leads to a reasonable nutrient application. The accumulation of nutrients in berries revealed that specific parts of the organ serve as preferred sinks.