Nutrients Flashcards

1
Q

Where does the vine acquire its nutrients?

A

Soil

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2
Q

What factors do nutrients influence?

A
  • vine heatlh
  • grape yield
  • grape composition
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3
Q

Do vines require high or low levels of nutrients?

A

low

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4
Q

What are the 5 most important nutrients for vines?

A
  1. Nitrogen
  2. Potassium
  3. Phosphorus
  4. Calcium
  5. Magnesium
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5
Q

What is nitrogen essential for?

A
  • vine growth
  • major impact on vine vigor and grape quality
  • component of chlorophyll (required for photosynthesis)
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6
Q

What happens if there is too much nitrogen in the soil?

A

Excessive vegetative growth

  • sugars diverted to the growing shoots and leaves rather than the grapes, hindering ripening
  • poor ventilation (leading to fungal disease) unless adequately managed
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7
Q

What happens if there is too little Nitrogen in the soil?

A
  • reduced vigor
  • yellowing of vine leaves
  • problematic for fermentation
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8
Q

What is Potassium essential for?

A
  • vine growth
  • regulates the flow of water in the vine
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9
Q

What happens if there is too much potassium in the soil?

A

= problems in the uptake of magnesium, which may lead to reduced yields and poor ripening

  • leads to high potassium levels within the grapes (wine quality lowers, as high levels of potassium in the grape must are linked to high pH)
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10
Q

What happens if there is too little potassium in the soil?

A
  • low sugar accumulation in the grapes
  • reduced yields
  • poor vine growth in general
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11
Q

What is phosphorus essential for?

A
  • photosynthesis
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12
Q

What happens if there is too little phosphorus in the soil?

A

Vines need only a small amount, usually there is enough in the soil

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13
Q

What is calcium essential for?

A
  • structure of plant cells
  • photosynthesis
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14
Q

What happens if there is too little calcium in the soil?

A
  • negative influence on fruit set
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15
Q

What is magnesium essential for?

A
  • magnesium is found in chlorophyll
  • key role in photosynthesis
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16
Q

What happens if there is too little magnesium in the soil?

A
  • reduced grape yields
  • poor ripening
17
Q

What affects nutrient availability in soil?

A

soil pH

18
Q

What is chlorosis? What causes it?

A
  • this is a condition in which leaves turn yellow and photosynthesis stops, so grape ripening and yields are negatively affected as a result
  • lack of available iron in the soil (high pH)
19
Q

What must happen before the vine can take up organic nutrient compounds (found in and added to the soils)?

A
  • need to be converted into inorganic compounds
  • organisms that live in the soil feed on the organic matter and convert it for the vine
20
Q

What is mineralization?

A

The process by which organism that live in the soil ( such as bacteria, fungi, earthworms, etc) feed on the organic matter and convert it into available forms

21
Q

What types of soil texture are good at holding nutrients? Bad?

A
  • good: clay
  • bad: sandy
22
Q

What can increase the soil’s ability to hold nutrients?

A

Humus

23
Q

What soils are typically less fertile and thinner: soils on slopes, or soils on plains/valley floors?

A

slopes

24
Q

What is soil? What is it comprised of?

A
  • soil is the upper layer of the earth
  • typically made up of geological sediment, organic remains in the form of humus, and the pores in between the sediment that contain water and air
25
Q

Where does the sediment come from?

A

Sediment comes from the weather of bedrock (solid rock)

26
Q

What types of layers make up the soil of a particular vineyard site?

A
  • different layers formed at different periods of time, each of which may have a different texture, structure, and characteristics
  • the sediment in the soil may not be the same as the bedrock underneath; for example, over time the sediment may have been transported by water, winds, glaciers, or gravity (down-slope)
27
Q

What are the two main functions of soil?

A
  • supports the vines’ roots
  • medium from which vines take up water and nutrients
28
Q

Describe clay soil. How does this affect its ability to hold water and nutrients?

A
  • finely-textured
  • very small particles (larger surface area compared to their volume)
  • very effective at holding water and nutrients
29
Q

Describe sandy soil. Describe how these characteristics affect the soil’s ability to hold water and nutrients.

A
  • loosely-textured
  • relatively large particles with small surface area compared to their volume
  • limited capacity to hold water
  • easy drainage
  • poor at retaining nutrients
  • workable and easy for vine roots to grow through
30
Q

Describe silt soil.

A

Silt has particles of intermediate size and its properties sit between that of clay and sad.

31
Q

What is loam soil? Describe its characteristics when it comes to drainage and water/nutrient holding capacity.

A
  • loam describes a soil that has moderate proportions of clay, silt, and sand
  • may contain a proportion of larger rock fragments, such as gravel or pebbles (larger than gravel)
  • good drainage
  • lower water and nutrient-holding capacity
32
Q

What is soil texture?

A

The texture of the soil describes the proportions of the mineral particles of sand, silt and clay

33
Q

What is soil structure?

A
  • the structure of the soil describes how the mineral particles in the soil form aggregates (crumbs)
  • the size, shape, and stability of these aggregates are also important for determining water drainage, root growth, and workability of the soil
34
Q

Describe the soil structure of soils that have a very high clay content

A
  • sticky
  • may for aggregates that are hard for vine roots to penetrate and challenging for soil cultivation
  • the vines’ roots may be limited to cracks or gaps between the aggregates
35
Q

Describe the structure of soils that are high in sand or larger particles such as gravels or pebbles

A
  • very loosely structured
  • need some clay to help bind them together
  • humus helps to bind soils together, and can help retain water and nutrients
36
Q

What is humus? What’s its texture? What does it help with?

A
  • organic matter in the soil that is formed by the partial decomposition of plant material by soil microbes and earthworms
  • has a spongey texture, large surface area, and is able to adsorb water and nutrients
37
Q

What does the suitability of the soil for viticulture depend on?

A
  • soil texture
  • soil structure
  • how far the roots are able to penetrate
  • climate suitability