Scientia Horticulturae 209 (2016) 309–315 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Scientia Horticulturae journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/scihorti Genotype/rootstocks effect on the expression of anthocyanins and flavans in grapes and wines of Greco Nero n. (Vitis vinifera L.) Serafino Suriano, Vittorio Alba ∗ , Domenico Di Gennaro, Maria Sonia Suriano, Michele Savino, Luigi Tarricone CREA-Consiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e l’Analisi dell’Economia Agraria – Unità di Ricerca per l’Uva da Tavola e la Vitivinicoltura in Ambiente Mediterraneo, Cantina Sperimentale di Barletta,Via Vittorio Veneto 26, 76121 Barletta, Italy a r t i c l e i n f o Article history: Received 15 April 2016 Received in revised form 7 June 2016 Accepted 4 July 2016 Keywords: Rootstocks Greco Nero n Winemaking Anthocyanins Flavans a b s t r a c t In the present study the effect of different rootstocks, namely 775 Paulsen, 779 Paulsen (Vitis berlandieri × Vitis rupestris), Ruggeri 225, 420 A and Kober 5BB (Vitis berlandieri × Vitis riparia) was evalu- ated on the anthocyanins and flavans profiles both in grapes and in relative wines obtained from Greco Nero n. vines grown in pots. Rootstocks effects on secondary metabolites such as anthocyanins and tannins were quite evident both on grapes and on wines. The highest levels of anthocyanins was observed in berries of vines grafted onto 775 Paulsen and Kober 5BB. The corresponding wines presented greater color intensity, thus reflecting the anthocyanic content. On the base of Principal Component Analysis, no distinction based on genetic background was evident on the base of anthocyanic profile both on grapes and wines. Conversely, grapes grafted on rootstocks Vitis berlandieri × rupestris differentiated from rootstocks Vitis berlandieri × riparia on the base of flavans variables, even this distinction was lost after winemaking. The results of this paper suggested that a specific affinity between a certain genotype and a rootstock goes beyond the constitutive genetics of the rootstock itself and becomes peculiar of each scion/rootstock combination. © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Greco Nero n. (Vitis vinifera L.) is a wine grape variety principally cultivated in Calabria (Southern Italy), in the provinces of Catanzaro and Crotone, where it is known as Grecu Niuru or Maglioccone and recently gaining interest in Apulia region (Italy). It is a medium-late ripening cultivar (in the third decade of September) with medium- small size, short, conical and loose clusters, often with one or more secondary wings developed as the main one. The berries are medium, ellipsoidal and elongated with faintly pinkish berries. The skin is weaker thick, waxy, blue-black. The flesh is crisp with a pleasant taste (Schneider et al., 2008). Different factors affect grape and wine performance in rela- tion to vineyard microclimate, soil characteristics, training system, canopy management, soil nutrient availability, grapevine water status and shoot/rootstock interaction (Downey et al., 2006). Rootstocks normally derive from crosses between American Vitis ∗ Corresponding author. E-mail addresses: vittorio.alba@crea.gov.it, vittorio.alba@libero.it (V. Alba). species like Vitis berlandieri with Vitis riparia or Vitis rupestris. When grafted with Vitis vinifera L. genotypes, they confer resistant to biotic and abiotic stresses (Schmid et al., 1998; Reynold and Wardle, 2001; Corso and Bonghi, 2014). Understanding the mechanisms underlying the phenotypic variability of a grape cultivar resulting from genotype/rootstock interactions means to deep information in terms of mobile sig- nals, gene expression, and the genetic and epigenetic control of favourable changes in the vine above and below ground (Albacete et al., 2015). However, the molecular mechanisms associated with the ability of rootstock/scion combination to influence grape berry metabolism under drought stress are still poorly understood. (Berdeja et al., 2015). Many studies highlighted the role of the rootstock on leaf gas exchange with changes in net assimilation parameters, stomatal conductance, transpiration rate, hydraulic conductivity (Brown et al., 1985; Bavaresco and Lovisolo, 2000), regulation of K grapevine and in turn the juice pH (Kodur et al., 2013; Jogaiah et al., 2015; Tarricone et al., 2014). Further researches focused on the role of rootstocks on productive performances of vines and on relative phenolic compounds, anthocyanins and tan- nins (Koundouras et al., 2009; Ozden et al., 2010). http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2016.07.004 0304-4238/© 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.