Irrigation of Wi in Rapes

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Irrigation of Wi in Rapes 42 NO VEMBER/DECEMBER 2001 WINEGR OWING ative. The same can be said of a plant's water potential. For example, when more water is Irrigation lost from a leaf via transpiration than moves into the leaf from the vascular tissue, its water potential will become more negative due to a relative increase in its solute concentration. of w i rapes This is important as water in plants and soils moves from regions where water potential is relatively high to regions where water potential is rela- tively low. Such differences in water in potential will result in movement of water from cell to cell within a plant or from regions within the soil profile that Cal Lorry E. WIIIIams y.t portion of the growing season in contain more moisture to those with Department of Viticulture Enology these areas and vineyard water use less. University of California-Qavis, and can be greater than the soil's water One way to measure the water Kearney Agricultural Center reservoir after the winter rainfall, potential of a plant organ in the field supplemental irrigation of vineyards (such as a leaf) is by using a pressure SYNOPSIS: How much irrigation water is may be required at some point dur- chamber. required to grow quality winegrapes ing summer months. The leaf's petiole is cut and the leaf depends upon site, the stage of vine quickly placed into the chamber with growth, row spacing, size of the vine's IRRIGATION MANAGEMENT the cut end of the petiole protruding canopy, and amount of rainfall occur- No matter where grapevines are out of the chamber. Once the leaf is ring during the growing season. Below, grown, two major questions concern- growers are presented with means to ing vineyard irrigation management determine when irrigations should must be answered: 1) When to start? commence and to calculate full vine and 2) How much water to apply? water use based on the results of 10 years of field trials in California wine- When to start irrigating grape growing regions. Implications .1;7' Deciding when to begin irrigating for such information to assist in vine- can be determined several ways. Soil- yard irrigation management are based tools such as a neutron probe included. and capacitance sensors can determine the actual or relative amounts of water oastal, winegrape production in the rooting zone of grapevines. areas in California are character- Plant-based tools, such as a pressure ized by warm days and cool chamber, can be used to measure vine nights, although high tempera- water status. turesc (104Q to 1162F) may occur for a Regardless of the method, a "value" few days each growing season. Some is determined which indicates that the areas may have fog lasting late into the vines may need water. Once this value morning. is reached, an irrigation event should Rainfall is greater in northem,coastal occur. valleys and diminishes as one travels south. In coastal valleys, evaporative Using a pressure chamber demand can range from 35 to 50 inches Water has free energy, a capacity to of water throughout the growing sea- do work. In plants, water's free energy son (between budbreak and the end of (or chemical potential) is usually October). referred to as "water potential." Pure Many of the soils in the coastal water will have a water potential of production areas are clay loam to 0 bars (bar is the unit of measurement). clay-type soils, which at field capac- Any solute (such as sugars, mineral ity, generally hold more water than ions, and amino acids) added to water sandy-type soils. Since the majority Randell Johnson (Hess Collection Winery, will lower its water potential, i.e. the Napa, CA) uses pressure chamber. (Photos of rainfall occurs during the dormant water potential will become more neg- by Richard Camera.) 201 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2001 mew- .i41,3%:4; rFW-0.1 254 WINEGROWING 77,71 aSe removed from the plant, the tension in deficits than those given greater those that were not bagged (the latter the petiole's xylem is released and the amounts of water.' Thus, leaf water being more negative). sap withdraws from the cut surface potential can be used to estimate the The bagged, leaf is. placed inside the and moves into the blade. water status of a plant. Units of water chamber with the petiole sticking out As the chamber is pressurized, the potential are expressed in bars, as men- (see photo)..-Theiiime from enclosing water potential of the leaf is raised by tioned above, or megapascals (MPa) the leaf inside the plastic bag to placing the amount of pressure applied so that (1.0 MPa =10 bars). it inside the chamber should be 10 sec- at the balance pressure (the pressure In all of my irrigation trials, I have onds or less-:.The chamber is pressur- required to force the sap to the surface measured leaf water potential to ized with compressed nitrogen until of the cut end of the petiole), the water assess vine water status. I usually the sap just exudes from the cut end of potential is zero. The original leaf measure midday leaf water potential the petiole. If the sap forms into a lens water potential plus the balance pres- between 12:30 and 1:30 PM. I select or hemisphere, then the sample, has sure equals zero. Therefore, the nega- mature, fully expanded leaves been over-pressurized. • tive of the balance pressure equals the exposed to direct sunlight (no shading The recommended rate , of pressur- original leaf water potential. on the leaf). I have found that any ization is leSS- than 1 bar 1>er -second A more complete explanation of the fully expanded leaf on the outside of initially, then slowed to less than 0.2 pressure chamber technique, theory, the canopy will be appropriate as long bar per second as"the balanCing pres- .-possible errors, and problems can be as it is not senescent (starting to turn sure is approached.' - The end point found in "Measurements of plant yellow), diseased, or suffering from should be observed with a magnifying water status," Hsiao.2 insect damage. lens and adequate light. The water potential of a plant leaf The leaf blade is enclosed inside a While the above description of the will be greatest at pre-dawn, then plastic bag (plastic sandwich bags are pressure chamber involves use of -com- decline (become more negative) during satisfactory) and then the petiole is cut pressed nitrogen, a new chamber has the day to reach a daily minimum, then with a sharp razor blade. The plastic been developed that doesn't require increase as the sun sets. This type of bag enclosing the leaf blade is to mini- compressed gas cylinders. This cham- pattern will occur regardless of the mize transpiration between petiole ber is pressurized via a manual pump availability of water in the soil profile. excision and pressurization within the and is very portable. However, pre-dawn and midday chamber. I have found a difference in Water potential values obtained by minimum values will be more negative leaf water potential of 2 to 3 bars using this technique can be dependent for plants experiencing soil moisture between bagged grape leaves and upon ambient vapor pressure deficit (VPD), which increases as relative humidity decreases; temperature and light, because all of these contribute to evaporative demand; time of day the measurement is made; and the amount of water in the soil profile. Since, time of day is very important, and the evaporative demand will vary considerably throughout the day, I limit taking leaf water potential mea- surements to one-half hour on either side of solar noon. That is when a grapevine uses the greatest amount of water on a daily basis.' I have found that midday leaf water potential values of fully irrigated vines on a day of low evaporative demand (ambient temperature at the time of measurement 85 2F) will be approxi- mately 1 bar higher (less negative) than on a day when ambient temperature is 982F at the time of measurement. This is also true for vines that are deficit- irrigated. One can also assess vine water sta- The petiole should be carefully observed in order to capture the measurement when the sap tus by taking water potential readings just exudes from the cut end. prior to sunrise (pre-dawnZoS leaf water potential) or by measuring stem water made one-half hour on either side of The information needed to sched- potential at midday. solar noon, that is 1 FM PDT. ule irrigations at daily, weekly, or Stem water potential is deter- In my current irrigation experi- other intervals throughout the grow- mined by enclosing a leaf in a plas- ments, I generally do not initiate the ing season includes potential evapo- tic bag surrounded by aluminum application of water until midday leaf transpiration (ET0) and reliable crop foil, at least 90 minutes prior to water potential is at or more negative coefficients (k c). Potential ET (also when readings are to be made. This than -10 bars. known as reference ET) is the water procedure eliminates transpiration At present, many growers and vine- used per unit time by a short green and the leaf water potential will yard consultants do not begin irrigation crop completely shading the ground. come into equilibrium with the of white wine cultivars until a midday leaf water potential value of -10 bars has Ideally, the crop is of uniform height water potential of the stem (i.e. stem and never water-stressed. water potential). been reached or a -12 bar value for red A recent study on almond trees has wine cultivars.
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