Salicylic acid in young ‘BRS Vitória’ vines under water stress

Abstract

The economic importance of grapevines in Vale do São Francisco, Brazil, requires the production of young vines with good agronomic and physiological importance. Although environmental limitations such as water stress can reduce yields, salicylic acid (SA) can mitigate its harmful effects and minimize the water volume applied, since it is a signaling molecule that activates growth and vine defense responses, thereby ensuring the satisfactory development of young vines. The present study aimed to assess the agronomic, physiological, and biochemical characteristics of young ‘BRS Vitória’ vines under water stress and submitted to different salicylic acid doses. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse, in a completely randomized two-factor design (five SA doses: 0; 0.5; 1.0; 1.5; 2.0 mM and four water regimes: 60, 80, 100 (control) and 120% of crop evapotranspiration), with eight repetitions. The variables assessed were total number of leaves, shoot fresh and dry mass, main stem length, average main stem diameter, number of nodes on the main stem, main stem internode length, activity of the antioxidant enzymes catalase (CAT) and peroxidase (POD), and lipid peroxidation. The results indicated that the irrigation depths and SA doses studied improved the development of young grapevines. Salicylic acid increased the number of leaves, fresh and dry mass, and number of nodes under 60% irrigation. In summary, SA attenuated the effects of water stress in young vines.