Objectives of the Experiment
The trial was designed to investigate the potential reducing od vineyard water inputs without compromising the productive and qualitative potential of Pinot Grigio grapes, one of the most widely cultivated wine grape varieties in Friuli Venezia Giulia.
Unlike many traditional irrigation strategies, this experiment employed a Decision Support System (DSS) to determine irrigation requirements aimed at maintaining specific plant water status conditions.
The experiment began in 2021, comparing three levels of plant water status between flowering and ripening stages. Specifically, the three treatments were:
CON – Well-irrigated control
MS – Moderate water stress
SS – Severe water stress
The irrigation inputs for each treatment were calculated using the Vintel® DSS (ITK, Clapiers, France), a system designed to simulate plant water status and return water requirements based on user-defined water stress thresholds.
The two-year study involved the measurement of various physiological parameters (e.g., leaf water potential) and grape ripening indicators. At harvest, grapes were also microvinified to evaluate the impact of deficit irrigation on aromatic compounds (via gas chromatography) and the sensory characteristics of the wines.
Funding:
Project “Acquavitis” – Interreg V-A Italy–Slovenia 2014–2020 Programme funded by ERDF (ended on 31/08/2022)
Project website:
Contacts:
Proff. Paolo Sivilotti paolo.sivilotti(at)uniud.it
Dott.Alessandro Pichierri alessandro.pichierri(at)uniud.it
Dott.Alberto Calderan alberto.calderan(at)uniud.it