Innovative chemical and molecular methodologies for characterising the mechanisms of mineral nutrition in vine and studying the effects of fertilization and terroir on the quality of grapes and wine.

Starting date
January 1, 2008
Duration (months)
24
Departments
Biotechnology
Managers or local contacts
Varanini Zeno
Keyword
Plant mineral nutrition, Ion absorption, Vitis vinifera, Stable isotope, Transcriptome

Recent investigations confirm that different levels of nutritional availability, deriving from by fertilization practices or the intrinsic composition of the soil (terroir) can affect grape quality.
The project intends to exploit GC-MS techniques in order to:
  1. Identify the most appropriate tools and define the experimental protocols for analysing the physiology and mechanisms for nutrient uptake by vine roots, using stable isotopes of elements such as N, Fe, Mg and B as tracers;
  2. Study the effects of mineral (NO3- and NH4+) and organic (urea) forms of nitrogen on vine development , gene expression and grape quality;
  3. Analyse how pedo-climatic-terroir can affect gene expression during the ripening process and consequently, the aroma of grapes and wine produced by varieties that are typical of the Verona region.

Sponsors:

Ateneo
Funds: assigned and managed by the department
Syllabus: COFATENEO - Cofinanziamento Ateneo progetti di ricerca di Interesse nazionale
Unione Italiana Vini
Funds: assigned and managed by the department
Syllabus: COFATENEO - Cofinanziamento Ateneo progetti di ricerca di Interesse nazionale
Funds: assigned and managed by the department

Project participants

Massimo Delledonne
Full Professor
Federica Mainente
Technical-administrative staff
Tiziana Pandolfini
Associate Professor
Mario Pezzotti
Full Professor
Annalisa Polverari
Associate Professor
Barbara Simonato
Associate Professor
Giovanni Battista Tornielli
Professor from another university
Zeno Varanini
Full Professor
Research areas involved in the project
Plant Sciences

Activities

Research facilities

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