GRAPE LEAF DIAGNOSIS STANDARDS IN COMPARISON TO PEDOLOGICAL FACTORS

Piedmont, North-Western Italy, is the third largest Italian region in terms of grape and wine production.
About 90% of the product is obtained from vineyards managed by integrated production methods where the evaluation of nutritional status is mainly based on foliar diagnostic.
This is due to the broad offer of foliar fertilizers and to a not common use of periodical soil analysis.
The study was aimed to upgrade the standard values of soil and leaf analyses in order to allow a better interpretation of the vineyard nutritional status in the different growing areas of Piedmont Region.
Soil and leaf analyses were carried out on samples gathered from 120 vineyards of the two main cultivars grown in Piedmont, ‘Nebbiolo’ and ‘Barbera’. Data from leaf analyses were analyzed statistically to determine leaf standard values of the two cultivars.
Data of soil analyses were elaborated also with principal component analysis attempting to discriminate the vineyards according to proposed zonation.

XXVI International Horticultural Congress: Viticulture – Living with Limitations

J. Ciesielska, E. Malusà, G. Bourlot

Leaf diagnosis, soil analysis, principal components, standard values, zonation

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2004.640.3