Effects of Salinity and Irrigation with Desalinated Effluent and Sea Water on Production and Fruit Quality of Grapevines (Review and Update)

Salinity affects grapevine growth and production when salt concentration in the plant organs increases to levels that interfere with physiological activities. Petiole analysis is a more sensitive indicator of sodium and chloride than blade or whole-leaf analysis. Salinity is caused by high salt concentrations in the root zone that may be due to, among others, saline irrigation water. Other factors that are mostly associated with warm climates are an elevated saline water table or environmental conditions inducing high evaporation. Drip is the most appropriate irrigation method for saline conditions due to its positive interaction with soil aeration and mineral distribution in the onion-shaped irrigated root zone. American hybrid rootstocks tested in the Negev desert of Israel, among them Salt Creek and 140 Ruggeri, showed higher resistance to salinity due to their ability to limit the salt's movement into the scion of several Vinifera cultivars and thereby maintain lower Na and Cl concentrations in the leaves and fruits. Following several successive drought years, water sources in Israel, in both water reservoirs and underground aquifers, have been diminished and the salinity level has increased. Conditions of negative water balance in which precipitation decreases and evaporative demand increases, and consumption by increasing population and agricultural production, lead to the unavoidable solution - water desalination. Recent developments in membrane technology have enabled the use of reverse osmosis at a cost that is only slightly higher than current practices. This ongoing project is aimed at desalinating sea water for human consumption, and purifying and desalinating effluents for agricultural and industrial use. This plan will solve present and future supply scarcity, and maintain high water quality while preserving and improving the environment and recovering the above and underground aquifers.