Tuning Potassium Fertilization to Improve pH and Acidity in Glera Grapevine (<i>Vitis vinifera</i> L.) under a Warming Climate

Abstract

Potassium concentration in grape berries can affect acidity and pH in must and wines. Under the current warming scenario, where preserving equilibrated value for these grape parameters is increasingly challenging, K fertilization could represent a tool to manage grape composition. In this study, the effect of potassium fertilization was investigated over 4 years (2013–2016) in field-grown grapevines (Vitis vinifera cv. Glera). Four different potassium rates (0, 15, 30, 60 kg K2O ha−1 year−1) were tested and agronomic responses, grape quality as well as K concentration in the berry were recorded over the four years. At harvest, yield parameters and total soluble solids were unaffected by potassium fertilization. On the contrary, the titratable acidity of the musts was increased by the higher rate of potassium (K60), and both tartaric and malic acids showed higher values when the K rate was higher. K fertilization did not affect the pH, as all the treatments displayed comparable pH values and in an optimal range for winemaking. Overall, in our experimental conditions, medium potassium inputs showed better results on Glera grape quality compared to low K rates, by promoting higher titratable acidity levels without altering the pH in musts.

Keywords

• fertilization
• potassium
• grape acidity
• grape pH
• climate change