A comparative study on effects of reflective mulch as an alternative to some other preharvest applications to improve phenolic compounds profile and anthocyanin accumulation of cv. Syrah wine grape (V. vinifera L.)

In today’s modern viticulture, reflective mulches and summer pruning practices are remarkable tools that may facilitate grape growers to increase yield and improve the grape quality. This study aimed to assess how reflective mulch application (RM) affects components of phenolic compounds and anthocyanin of cv. Syrah the compared to other preharvest applications such as basal leaf removal application (BLR), foliar proline application (PRO) and their various combinations, including applications of basal leaf removal + proline (BLR+PRO), basal leaf removal + reflective mulch (BLR+RM), proline + reflective mulch (PRO+RM) and basal leaf removal + proline + reflective mulch (BLR+PRO+RM). The study findings demonstrated that reflective mulch application (RM) may considerably enhance light distribution in the canopy of grapevine by increasing reflected light from the ground. In the current study, it was observed that combined applications had significant roles on improving yield and quality characteristics. In terms of total phenolic compounds content, the highest values were obtained from applications of BLR+RM and PRO+RM. Moreover, all applications had a rise to crucial increases in total anthocyanin content of cv. Syrah wine grape when the compared with C application.