Effects of abscisic acid treatment and night temperatures on anthocyanin composition in Pinot noir grapes

Potted Pinot noir grapevines were grown under continuous high temperature (30 degrees C or low night (15 degrees C) and high day (30 degrees C) temperatures after veraison. Half of the total number of clusters of each vine was sprayed with 250 ppm abscisic acid (ABA) at veraison. Anthocyanin accumulation in berry skins grown under high night temperatures was lower than that in berries grown under low night temperatures. HPLC analysis showed that the ratios of delphinidin-3-glucoside, cyanidin-3-glucoside and petunidin-3-glucoside to the total anthocyanin content were greatly reduced under high night temperatures. ABA treatment enhanced anthocyanin accumulation under high night temperatures to almost the same level as under low night temperatures; the ratio of each anthocyanin to the total anthocyanin, however, was not affected by ABA treatment.