Impact of vine water status on berry mass and berry tissue development of Cabernet franc (Vitis Vinifera L.), assessed at berry level Vine water status and grapevine berry tissues Roberta Triolo *,1,2 , Jean Philippe Roby 1 , Antonino Pisciotta 2 , Rosario Di Lorenzo 2 , Cornelis van Leeuwen 1 Author affiliation(s) 1 EGFV, Bordeaux Sciences Agro, INRA, Univ. Bordeaux, ISVV, 33882 Villenave d’Ornon, France 2 University of Palermo, Scienze Agrarie e Forestali (SAF), Viale delle Scienze, 90128 Palermo, Italy. *Corresponding author (Roberta Triolo, roberta.triolo@hotmail.it, Tel: +33 7 81 52 50 44). ABSTRACT Background: Berry size is considered an important quality factor in red wine production. The objective of this work was to study the effect of vine water status on berry mass in field conditions, with a specific focus on berry tissue masses. Results: The study was carried out over two years in a parcel located in Sicily (Italy). Two irrigation treatments were established. Dynamic evolution of berry mass and berry tissue masses at harvest were recorded. Berries produced under water deficit conditions were smaller and characterized by a higher skin to flesh ratio. However, this ratio did not change when berry mass varied independently from vine water status, showing coordinated growth of flesh and skin under these conditions. Conclusion: The implications of berry size on skin to flesh ratios depend on the factor causing berry size differences. This finding might question the conclusions of most research trying to demonstrate that berry size is, or is not, an important parameter for quality. The factors impacting berry size are likely to differ according to the scale considered. This highlights the importance of investigating the causal effects of varying berry size, before possibly discussing the potential effects on fruit composition and, subsequently, wine quality. Berries produced by grapevines facing water deficit have a higher skin to flesh ratio. Hence, limited water conditions, represent a powerful tool to increase the concentration of major solutes involved in wine quality, which are located in berry skins rather than in berry flesh. Key words: berry weight, skin to flesh ratio, water deficit, irrigation, vine. This article has been accepted for publication and undergone full peer review but has not been through the copyediting, typesetting, pagination and proofreading process which may lead to differences between this version and the Version of Record. Please cite this article as doi: 10.1002/jsfa.9834 This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.