Berry shrivel of grapes in Austria – Aspects of the physiological disorder with cultivar Zweigelt (Vitis vinifera L.)

Berry shrivel (BS) is a physiological disorder of grapevine that affects berry development with decreases in quantity and quality of the crop. The causes of BS are unknown and no treatment exists for prevention or cure. BS seems to occur temporally and spatially at random in vineyards even among and within vines. The detailed description of symptoms and their development is an important step towards the understanding of the molecular background behind BS. Herein symptoms of BS are described with parameters aiming to clearly differentiate between healthy and BS grapes. Analyses were conducted on Vitis vinifera (L.) cv. Zweigelt in 2009/2010 at five Austrian vineyards. Berry diameter and berry deformability were severely reduced by BS, and this effect was observed on whole clusters. BS berries had significantly reduced contents of soluble solids and total anthocyanin concentration 67–73 days after anthesis (DAA), both representing key markers for the early detection of BS clusters. A systemic effect of BS on other no symptoms showing clusters of the same plant could not be observed. Additionally the concentrations of several amino acids in grape juice were affected by BS: thirteen were reduced, two were induced and four did not change significantly.