In Search of the Perfect Wine
How much water does a grapevine need? The Department of Viticulture at the Geisenheim Research Institute take up this question back in 1983. Using a sophisticated measurement approach that includes two KNF N 022 AN.18 diaphragm gas pumps, researchers seek to find out how grape leaves process the water absorbed by the vine’s roots.
Winemakers have only limited influence over the quality of a vintage. While they cannot control whether their vines receive enough sun, what they can determine is how much water the plants take in from an irrigation system. And this can be crucial. Too much water leads to excess consumption. The cells in the leaves expand considerably, making the plant very sensitive to drought. In contrast, when vines are kept very dry, they do not leaf out as much. This results in smaller yields and grapes that undergo emergency ripening as the plant mobilizes its last reserves for the grapes to ripen enough to ensure survival. Emergency ripening produces grapes with very low levels of acid and sugar. The goal is therefore to find the golden middle between the two extremes, resulting in optimum yields of the best possible quality.
The study is performed outdoors on the testing grounds of the Department of Viticulture. While still connected to the vine, the leaf is placed inside a climate chamber, where it is subjected to a constant air flow. A KNF pump installed at the entrance draws air into the chamber, while another at the exit pumps the air out. The humidity and the amount of carbon dioxide in the air gets measured in both locations. If the humidity is higher at the point of exit than the point of entry, this means that the leaf releases water vapor. Data is gathered throughout the day and the resulting data set allows researchers to determine how much water the leaf releases over the course of the day and how much carbon dioxide it absorbs.
For accurate results, it is imperative that the pumps do not introduce any foreign media. They have to be hermetically sealed to keep oil vapors, grease and sample gas components from building up in the pump, which makes KNF diaphragm pumps the perfect choice for measurements on the vine. And KNF is thrilled to do its part in finding the ideal irrigation method for the perfect wine.
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