Vine growth, yield, berry quality attributes and leaf nutrient content of grapevines as influenced by seaweed extract (Ascophyllum nodosum) and nanosize fertilizer pulverizations

Environmental stress factors such as drought, salinity, and temperature extremes can reduce the yield of major crops and limit agricultural production worldwide. Therefore, research into developing sustainable methods to alleviate such stresses should be a priority. However, experimental studies to detect evidence and the effects of macro- and micro-element deficiencies in grapes are still insufficient to match necessity of clear knowledge to solve problems related with vineyard nutrition practice under stress conditions. This study was thus conducted on the investigation of the physiological, growth, mineral acquisition, yield and quality responses of grapevine, grown on alkaline soil, to seaweed extract (Ascophyllum nodosum) and nanosize fertilizer over two years. Leaf investigations revealed that the existence of nano-size Ca-based fertilizer led to remarkable enhancements in foliar development and chlorophyll concentration of the vines cultivated on alkaline soil. Seaweed also enhanced the leaf Zn chlorophyll content of the grapes. Most of macro- and micro-elements determined across the vines were in, or near, normal levels, except for Zn which varied around questionable levels. The treatments, particularly nano-fertilizer, considerably increased the Zn acquisition. Certain berry characteristics and the yield also increased with especially nano-fertilizer alone or with sea weed (A. nodosum) plus nano-fertilizer treatment. Overall investigations revealed that nano-fertilizer had particular contribution to improvement of vine growth, yield, berry quality attributes and leaf nutrient content of grapevines (cv. 'Narince') grown under alkaline soil condition. Therefore this product would be recommended to use for alleviating the adverse effects of such abiotic stress condition for sustainable grape production. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.