Effect of Berry Heterogeneity in Organic and Conventional Vineyards on Grape Berry Characteristics

Abstract

In a two-part experiment, the first parcel is certified organic vineyard and, consisting of Cabernet Sauvignon cv. vines grafted onto the 1103P rootstock. The second parcel is conventional vineyard, with cv. Cabernet Sauvignon vines grafted onto the 5BB rootstock. Using Split-Plot Design based on stress levels, the experiment is set up with three repetitions, with two main plots representing Organic and Conventional vineyard, each split into two sub-plots. Predawn leaf water potential values were measured, and vines with values below -0.8 MPa and above -0.8 MPa were grouped into Dryland-Shallow Soil and Bottomland-Deep Soil, respectively, based on soil type (six groups, namely Control, Stress 1, and Stress 2). Berry characteristics were studied during harvest, and berries were classified into four groups based on their diameter (10mm-12mm, 12mm-14mm, 14mm-16mm). The results showed that the 10mm-12mm berry size group had the desired berry characteristics, Dryland-Shallow Soil produced smaller berries, and Stress 2 increased berry skin area and berry skin area/berry volume values.