Effects of Irrigation and N Fertilization on 15N Fertilizer Utilization by Vitis vinifera L. Cabernet Sauvignon in China
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
The article, "Effects of irrigation and N fertilization on 15N fertilizer utilization by Vitis vinifera Cabernet Sauvignon", is well written. The manuscript presents the methodology in detail, which is a strong plus. Furthermore, the authors conducted the discussion correctly, referring to the world literature. Therefore, in my opinion, the article is suitable for publication with minor comments:
In the introduction section, please discuss the topic of grape irrigation; which systems are the most popular? Also, how do the water requirements of grapes compare to other crops?
Please highlight how to fertilize grapes effectively using N? What guidance comes from the research in the manuscript?
Editorial comments:
According to journal guidelines, all words in the title should be capitalized.
Please add the country's name in the description of the research object.
Please place tables and figures closer to where they are cited in the text. At the moment, the reference to the table is many pages before it. This should be changed so that you can easily check the table which is right next to the citation in the text when reading.
Please try to work on your English. Currently, the text contains a lot of repetition - try to use synonyms. I also recommend that a native speaker proofread the text.
Please also adapt your reference list to the requirements of the journal.
Author Response
Response to Reviewer 1 Comments
Point 1: In the introduction section, please discuss the topic of grape irrigation; which systems are the most popular? Also, how do the water requirements of grapes compare to other crops?
Response 1: At present, drip irrigation technology has been widely used in grape planting in arid regions of China because of its strong topographic adaptability, high water use efficiency and yieldincreases. In areas with sufficient water sources and other climate types areas, ditch irrigation, micro-sprinkler irrigation, infiltration irrigation, and flood irrigation are commonly used for grape planting. From the perspective of China's comprehensive water resources planning, drip irrigation will be the mainstream grape water-saving irrigation technology in the future because of its mature technology, low energy consumption and high efficiency. Compared with cotton and wheat, grapes have stronger drought tolerance, and the amount of irrigation is 750–1500 m3/ha more than them. However, compared with apple, pear, peach, and other fruit trees, grapes need about twice as much water as.The water demand of grape under the growth period of surface drip irrigation in arid areas is about 4500 m3/ha. Due to the differences in soil texture and climate in different areas, water demand varies greatly.
Point 2: Please highlight how to fertilize grapes effectively using N? What guidance comes from the research in the manuscript?
Response 2: Grapevine is a tree with high N demand, and there are differences in the absorption and utilization characteristics of N in various organs at different growth stages. Studies have found that the utilization rate of N fertilizer applied to fruit trees with soil is low, while the 15N utilization rate of multiple fertilization treatment was significantly higher than that of single fertilization treatment. The absorption and utilization rate of 15N decreases with the decrease of irrigation, and the amount of irrigation is inversely proportional to the 15N residue of in soil. Studies have shown that late topdressing can promote the movement of fertilizer N to fruit, and starting N topdressing can improve the absorption and utilization of fertilizer. It has been found that the N absorbed by plants mainly comes from soil N, while the proportion of fertilizer N is lower. Therefore, the fertilization time, fertilization methodshould be fully considered.
The primary objective of this study was thus to determine the effects of the interaction between different irrigation and N fertilizer rates on the fertilizer absorption of the current-season aboveground organs of Cabernet Sauvignon grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.). The secondary objective was to evaluate the general distribution patterns of labeled N in the vine organs as well as the effects of N fertilizer and irrigation and their interaction on fertilizer N utilization efficiency in the current season in order to provide a reference for the efficient utilization of N in drip irrigation grapes in arid areas of China.
Editorial comments:
Point 1: According to journal guidelines, all words in the title should be capitalized.
Response 1: Its have been revised in the manuscript.
Point 2: Please add the country's name in the description of the research object.
Response 2: It has been revised in the manuscript.
Point 3: Please place tables and figures closer to where they are cited in the text. At the moment, the reference to the table is many pages before it. This should be changed so that you can easily check the table which is right next to the citation in the text when reading.
Response 3: Its have been revised in the manuscript.
Point 4: Please try to work on your English. Currently, the text contains a lot of repetition - try to use synonyms. I also recommend that a native speaker proofread the text.
Response 4: I have invited a native speaker to proofread the full text.
Point 5: Please also adapt your reference list to the requirements of the journal.
Response 5: Its have been revised in the manuscript.
Author Response File: 
Author Response.docx
Reviewer 2 Report
Dear Auythors,
the manuscript has been substatially improved.
However, spaces between characters need to be checked again throughout the etire text, tables and figures.
Moreover, please consider few last comments at specific lines of the manuscript.
Line 24. Please change "grape" in "grapevine"
Line 29. Please change "," in "."
Line 91. Please see the suggested insertion in the manuscript.
Line 104. Please add information about the plant root system (this is very important for this type of study).
Lines 109-112. Please see the suggested changes in the manuscript.
Line 135-137. Please see the suggested changes in the manuscript.
Lines 137-143. Please use the verbs in the past forms ("was" or "were, "not "is" or "are"), as in the entire manuscript.
Line 352. Please see the change suggested in caption of Fig. 1.
Line 357. lease see the change suggested in caption of Fig. 3.
Table 3. Please, see the suggested corrections in the manuscript.
Fig. 4. Please, see the suggested corrections in the manuscript.
Fig. 5. Please, see the suggested corrections n the manuscript.
Tab. 6. Please, see the suggested corrections n the manuscript.
Tab. 7. Please, see the suggested corrections n the manuscript.
Lines 460-461. Part of the sentence is not clear, please rephrase.
Line 476. Please, see the suggested corrections n the manuscript.
Author Response
Response to Reviewer 2 Comments
Point 1: spaces between characters need to be checked again throughout the etire text, tables and figures.
Response 1: I have checked spaces between characters throughout the entire text, tables and figures.
Point 2: Line 24. Please change "grape" in "grapevine"
Response 2: It has been revised in the manuscript.
Point 3: Line 29. Please change "," in ".".
Response 3: It has been revised in the manuscript.
Point 4: Line 91. Please see the suggested insertion in the manuscript.
Response 4: It has been revised in the manuscript.
Point 5: Line 104. Please add information about the plant root system (this is very important for this type of study).
Response 5: It has been revised in the manuscript.
Point 6: Lines 109-112. Please see the suggested changes in the manuscript.
Response 6: It has been revised in the manuscript.
Point 7: Line 135-137. Please see the suggested changes in the manuscript.
Response 7: It has been revised in the manuscript.
Point 8: Lines 137-143. Please use the verbs in the past forms ("was" or "were, "not "is" or "are"), as in the entire manuscript.
Response 8: Its have been revised in the manuscript.
Point 9: Line 352. Please see the change suggested in caption of Fig. 1.
Response 9: It has been revised in the manuscript.
Point 10: Line 357. lease see the change suggested in caption of Fig. 3.
Response 10: It has been revised in the manuscript.
Point 11: Table 3. Please, see the suggested corrections in the manuscript.
Response 11: It has been revised in the manuscript.
Point 12: Fig. 4. Please, see the suggested corrections in the manuscript.
Response12: It has been revised in the manuscript.
Point 13: Fig. 5. Please, see the suggested corrections n the manuscript.
Response 13: It has been revised in the manuscript.
Point 14: Tab. 6. Please, see the suggested corrections n the manuscript.
Response 14: It has been revised in the manuscript.
Point 15: Tab. 7. Please, see the suggested corrections n the manuscript.
Response 15: It has been revised in the manuscript.
Point 16: Lines 460-461. Part of the sentence is not clear, please rephrase..
Response 16: It has been rephrased in the manuscript.
Point 17: Line 476. Please, see the suggested corrections n the manuscript.
Response 17: It has been revised in the manuscript.
Author Response File: Author Response.docx
This manuscript is a resubmission of an earlier submission. The following is a list of the peer review reports and author responses from that submission.
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
Dear Authors,
please find my review report in the attached file.
Best regards.
Review Report
Manuscript “Effects of irrigation and N fertilization on 15N fertilizer utilization by Vitis vinifera Cabernet Sauvignon”
Summary
This study is focused on the interactive effects of two irrigation and three N fertilizer rates on the absorption and accumulation of Nitrogen in organs of vines of Vitis vinifera cv Cabernet Sauvignon. The aim was to suggest suitable rates of irrigation and Nitrogen fertilization.
General Comments
Strengths
- The article reports information on a trial carried out in the open field, supported by in-depth laboratory analyzes.
- The introduction is clear and pertinent with the topic.
- The aim is clear.
Weaknesses
- The study starts from the premise that the use of Nitrogen in China is excessive. However, the three doses of Nitrogen fertilizer tested in this trial are all very high for grapevine cultivation. In addition, the study concludes that the recommended dose is the highest one, and I do not see that the Authors have pointed out that this result contradicts their premise.
- The experimental plan is not clear.
- Viticultural terminology is often used incorrectly. This fact makes difficult to understands some points of the paper. I suggest that the authors ask for the support of a colleague of the viticultural sector.
- Many important scientific works focused on the effect of nitrogen fertilizer on nitrogen partitioning in irrigated vines have not been considered.
Specific comments
Specific suggestions to improve the text are reported in the manuscript.
Here are some other comments.
Authors and Institutions
The same institution is reported for all the Authors, hence, numbers in the line 4 are not required and the institution has to be cited one time only.
Abstract
- The abstract is very long. It should report the most important information in a much more concise form. According to the instruction for authors, it should be a total of about 200 words maximum.
Materials and Methods
- Line 99. Please rewrite the geographic coordinates of the site in a more appropriate way.
- Lines 108-112. Please indicate the source(s) of information on the characteristics of the site.
- Line 114. The type of training system should be indicated.
- Line 122-128. The experimental plan needs to be described much more clearly. Was it a completely randomized design? Did you use buffer rows among treatments? How many rows and vines for each replicate? You speak about 2, 3 and 10 vines: it is difficult to understand.
- Line 142 – Please indicate which form of fertilizer did you use.
- Lines 146 and 156. You apply water by drip irrigation system, but the interval between irrigations was cot suitable for this irrigation method.
- Line 166. Why did you measure the mail veins of leaves? I can suppose why, but it has to be indicated in the paper.
Results and Discussion
- Please check that there is a space between the number and its unit of measurement.
- The captions of tables and figures need to be improved.
- The captions of the figures should be placed below, not above the figures.
- Tables and figures must be accompanied by explanatory notes of the statistical tests
Conclusions
The conclusions are too long and contain information that is relevant to the Results and Discussion sections. This section is to be rewritten.
Comments for author File: 
Comments.pdf
Author Response
Please see attachment
Author Response File: Author Response.docx
Reviewer 2 Report
The reviewed manuscript concerned the study of the interaction of different irrigation and nitrogen fertilization rates on the 15N fertilizer absorption and utilization of cabernet Sauvignon grapes.
The manuscript is interesting but needs some minor corrections before final publication.
I got the manuscript with the authors’ corrections, which was difficult to read. I have no objections to the substantive evaluation of the work, but I point out that authors should more attention have been paid to the careful preparation of the manuscript.
In section Site description, I suggest putting the table with soil parameters characterization. In this form, this is unclear. Please also provide information about soil pH and CEC. These parameters play an important role in N utilization by plants.
Line 109 available P and K- which method was used to determine these parameters?
Line 110, please explain which criteria the abundance in N, P, K was assessed.
All calculation formulas should be presented clearly. At the moment, they blend in with the text.
Figures 1, 2, 3 are very unclear. I suggest considering putting modified versions.
Tables and figures should be inserted according to the order in which they are cited in the text.
In all tables and also for some figures, explanations for symbols a,b,c…should be provided
Recommendation – minor remarks
Author Response
Please see attachment
Author Response File: Author Response.docx
Round 2
Reviewer 1 Report
Manuscript “Effects of irrigation and N fertilization on 15N fertilizer utilization by Vitis vinifera Cabernet Sauvignon”
GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS
Several critical points highlighted in the previous revision have not been considered by the Authors.
- This study starts from the premise that the use of Nitrogen in China is excessive. Please, in the introduction specify what do you mean as “excessive”, since, according to the common international references, the three doses of Nitrogen fertilizer tested in your trial are all very high (excessive). Moreover, this study concludes that, among the tested doses, the highest one is that to recommend. All this seems contradictory. Please, clarify and discuss this points in your manuscript.
- The experimental plan is still not very clear.
- Viticultural terminology is still often used incorrectly.
SPECIFIC COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS
Author’s superscript, Institution and corresponding name
- Please review according to the instructions of the Journal.
Text
- Please, check “spaces” between words, parentheses, numbers, units etc. along the entire text
Viticulture terminology
- The terms “grape”, “vine” and "grapevine" should be used correctly. Please remember that, technically, “grape” means fruit (grape bunch) not plant, while “vine” means plant. “Grapevine” indicates the species and also the plant. Please, check the entire text.
Abstract
- Lines 15, 17, 18, 22, 25, 26: please see corrections suggested in the text.
Materials and Methods
- Indicate which is the source of information on the climate of the experimental site.
- Lines 115-121: the description of the experimental design is still confused. Please, start to define the 6 theses. Then explain that (if I have correctly understood) each thesis was tested on three adjacent rows, each of one represented a replicate, and that 10 vines per replicate were randomly sampled for taking measurements on some of them (say how many). Then specify that three buffer rows separated the replicates of one thesis from those of the other theses. Finally give information about the vines used for 15N supply.
Please use always same terminology, e.g., “theses” and “replicate” (or “repetition”). If you introduce the terms “plot” and “experimental unit” without define them, the description of your experimental plan looks confusing.
- Lines 124, 132, 140, 144, 160, 178, 181, 191: please see corrections suggested in the text.
Results
- Line 333: please see corrections suggested in the text.
- Table 2: the soil salinity is very high! You should comment this data.
- All Figures: as already indicated in the previous revision, the caption of the figure has to be sited below the figure, not above.
- Tables and Figures: please see corrections suggested for each of them.
Conclusions
- Please, eliminate the numbering.
- What you have written in this section is pertinent to the results. According to the Instruction for Authors of the journal, this section should report the main deductions or interpretations. Please re-write this section.
Comments for author File: Comments.pdf
