Impact of heat waves on the bud dormancy of grapevines

Abstract The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of heat waves on the bud dormancy of grapevines with contrasting chilling requirements. ‘Chardonnay’, ‘Merlot’ and ‘Cabernet Sauvignon’ hardwood cuttings were collected in vineyards of Veranópolis, State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, and were exposed to constant (7.2°C) or alternate (7.2 and 18°C for 12/12 hours) temperatures, combined with zero, one or two days a week at 25°C. Periodically, part of cuttings was transferred to 25°C for daily budburst evaluation. Endodormancy (dormancy controlled by cold) was overcome with 150 chilling hours (CH) at 7.2ºC in ‘Chardonnay’, 300 CH in ‘Merlot’ and 400 CH in ‘Cabernet Sauvignon’. Daily temperature cycles ranging from7.2ºC to 18°C did not affect the endodormancy process. Heat waves of 25°C resulted in increase in CH to overcome endodormancy. The negative effect of heat waves depended on their duration, with heat partially canceling out the chilling accumulation after 36 continuous hours on the dormancy. Such evidence shows that the dormancy evolution is affected by the impact of the heat interspersed with cold, and should be considered in the adjustment and/or development of better-adapted models for the prediction of the budburst potential of the grapevine culture in Southern Brazil.