Process of applying extra water in the cultivation of grapevines
A vineyard with a drip irrigation system running along the bottom of the vines
Irrigation in viticulture is the process of applying extra water in the cultivation of grapevines. It is considered both controversial and essential to wine production. In the physiology of the grapevine, the amount of available water affects photosynthesis and hence growth, as well as the development of grape berries. While climate and humidity play important roles, a typical grape vine needs 25-35 inches (635-890 millimeters) of water a year, occurring during the spring and summer months of the growing season, to avoid stress.[1] A vine that does not receive the necessary amount of water will have its growth altered in a number of ways; some effects of water stress (particularly, smaller berry size and somewhat higher sugar content) are considered desirable by wine grape growers.
In many Old World wine regions, natural rainfall is considered the only source for water that will still allow the vineyard to maintain its terroir characteristics. The practice of irrigation is viewed by some critics as unduly manipulative with the potential for detrimental wine quality due to high yields that can be artificially increased with irrigation.[2] It has been historically banned by the European Union's wine laws, though in recent years individual countries (such as Spain) have been loosening their regulations and France's wine governing body, the Institut National des Appellations d'Origine (INAO), has also been reviewing the issue.[3]
In very dry climates that receive little rainfall, irrigation is considered essential to any viticultural prospects. Many New World wine regions such as Australia and California regularly practice irrigation in areas that couldn't otherwise support viticulture. Advances and research in these wine regions (as well as some Old World wine regions such as Israel), have shown that potential wine quality could increase in areas where irrigation is kept to a minimum and managed. The main principle behind this is controlled water stress, where the vine receives sufficient water during the budding and flowering period, but irrigation is then scaled back during the ripening period so that the vine then responds by funneling more of its limited resources into developing the grape clusters instead of excess foliage. If the vine receives too much water stress, then photosynthesis and other important processes such as nutrient storage could be impacted with the vine essentially shutting down. The availability of irrigation means that if drought conditions emerge, sufficient water can be provided for the plant so that the balance between water stress and development is kept to optimal levels.[2]
^T. Stevenson "The Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia" p. 15 Dorling Kindersley 2005 ISBN 0-7566-1324-8
^ abJ. Robinson (ed) "The Oxford Companion to Wine" Third Edition pp. 236-263, 361-362, 507-566, 635-641, 709-763 Oxford University Press 2006 ISBN 0-19-860990-6
^R. Joseph & J. Payne "Yves Benard: The new broom at the INAO Archived 2009-11-15 at the Wayback Machine" Meininger's Wine Business International, August 24, 2007
and 28 Related for: Irrigation in viticulture information
Irrigationinviticulture is the process of applying extra water in the cultivation of grapevines. It is considered both controversial and essential to...
been practiced in many areas virtually unchanged for thousands of years. Surface irrigation is often referred to as flood irrigation, implying that the...
environmental effects of irrigation relate to the changes in quantity and quality of soil and water as a result of irrigation and the subsequent effects...
Frequency domain sensor Irrigationinviticulture Neutron probe Nonlimiting water range Time domain reflectometer BAITSSS Irrigation Association Smart Water...
Viticulture (Latin: vitis cultura, "vine-growing"), viniculture (vinis cultura, "wine-growing"), or winegrowing is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes...
pruning, fertilizer application, irrigation, timing of harvest, etc.). Precision viticulture is based on the premise that high in-field variability for factors...
This glossary of viticultural terms list some of terms and definitions involved in growing grapes for use in winemaking. Contents: Top 0–9 A B C D E...
purposes or to irrigate extra units of land. DI is sometimes referred to as incomplete supplemental irrigation or regulated DI. Deficit irrigation (DI) has...
irrigation is Australia's most common irrigation method, with drip and center pivots also utilised. All rights to use and control water are vested in...
Inviticulture, the climates of wine regions are categorised based on the overall characteristics of the area's climate during the growing season. While...
of the Eastern Anatolia and the development of irrigation systems, viticulture was well developed in Urartu. The ancient vines have been identified as...
grapes grown in Monterey County, California which lies entirely within the expansive multi-county Central Coast viticultural area. County names in the United...
Development. Environmental Water Quality Chile Geothermal power in Chile Irrigationinviticulture Bauer, Carl J. (2004). "The Siren Song: Chilean Water Law...
the national wine laws, which provide the visible front-end. Irrigationinviticulture UK Food Standards Agency: Guide to EC wine legislation Archived...
vineyards. Biodynamics has become increasingly popular inviticulture. The use of drip irrigationin recent years has expanded vineyards into areas which...
Columbia Valley is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) which lies within the Columbia River Plateau, through much of central and southern Washington state...
has a rich viticulture history since 1680 when Spanish Jesuit missionaries planted Vitis vinifera vines native to the Mediterranean region in their established...
vegetable farms. In Moorreesburg can be found only one of two museums in the world that shows the history of wheat farming. Viticulturein the Swartland...
from glaciers, they were mainly used to irrigate meadows and vineyards. A similar irrigation was also practiced in the Grisons, where mentions of Val Müstair...
level. The area is a desert, but irrigation and the deep, rich soils of the once-larger Mimbres River have made viticulture possible since the late 19th century...
more rain than areas further inland. In many South African wine regions irrigation is essential to viticulture. The Benguela current from Antarctica...
infrastructure are still evident in around the maritime south western parts of Tuscany. Vite maritata is a viticulture technique exploiting Companion planting...
to grow in the 21st century, several related viticultural trends will involve improvements inirrigation, yield control, canopy management and the construction...
market share whereas wine with low ABV only has 2% market share. The viticulturein India has a long history, dating back to the time of the Indus Valley...
Global Information