Three-year field response of drip-irrigated grapevine (Vitis vinifera L., cv. Tempranillo) to soil salinity

Abstract

We evaluated the salinity tolerance of young Tempranillo grapevines over a three year’s period, and the related effects on growth to leaf Na and Cl concentrations. Soil salinity, rootstock growth and leaf Na and Cl concentrations were measured in a drip-irrigated saline field. Salinity tolerance was determined using the slope (percent growth decline per unit increase in soil salinity) of the upper-boundary line fitted to the maximum growth-salinity observations. Based on a slope of 17.1% for the 3 years, Tempranillo was shown to be more sensitive to salinity than other reported varieties (slopes between 9.3% and 13.2%). The salinity tolerance of Tempranillo decreased along the study period. Tempranillo excluded Cl and, in particular, Na from the leaves more efficiently than other grape rootstock-scion combinations. Tempranillo was classified as moderately sensitive to salinity, and decreases in growth with increases in salinity were attributed to the osmotic effect rather than to specific ion toxicities.