GiESCO 2019 banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 GiESCO 9 Different yield regulation strategies in semi-minimal-pruned hedge (SMPH) and impact on bunch architecture

Different yield regulation strategies in semi-minimal-pruned hedge (SMPH) and impact on bunch architecture

Abstract

Context and purpose of the study – Yields in the novel viticulture training system Semi-Minimal-Pruned Hedge (SMPH) are generally higher compared to the traditional Vertical Shoot Positioning (VSP). Excessive yields have a negative impact on the vine and wine quality, which can result in substantial losses in yield in subsequent vintages (alternate bearing) or penalties in fruit quality. Therefore yield regulation is essential. The bunch architecture in SMPH differs from VSP. Generally there is a higher amount but smaller bunches with lower single berry weights in SMPH compared to VSP. By means of different yield-regulating measures, i.e. biochemical thinning concepts, harvester thinning and Darwin-rotor (Fruit Tec Maschinenbau, Markdorf, Germany) the bunch architecture in SMPH is altered. A loose bunch architecture minimizes the risk of bunch rot and improves grape health. The aim of the study was to investigate the impact of different yield regulation strategies in SMPH on the bunch architecture.

Material and methods – Under field conditions, three different thinning methods were tested on the two fungus-resistant grape varieties Rondo, Regent, and additionally Riesling at Geisenheim, Germany (49°59´20” N; 7°55´56 ” E). Both biochemical and mechanical thinning concepts were pursued. The biochemical grape thinning treatment was applied during flowering with the plant growth regulator gibberellic acid (Gibb3; Plantan GmbH, Buchholz, Germany). The mechanical thinning was performed using a harvester at berry pea size stage of fruit development and the Darwin-rotor, which was originally developed for horticultural crops and commonly used for mechanical blossom thinning by horizontally rotating strings. In the vineyard it has been used for thinning young canes a week after budburst (E-L-scale: 9). The three thinning treatments were compared to non-treated VSP and SMPH control and bunch architecture has been investigated.

Results – Lower bunch weight, berry weight and rachis weight were detected in all SMPH treatments compared to VSP. Statistically significant lower bunch weight was detected for SMPH using harvester thinning compared to SMPH thinning with gibberellic acid, thinning with Darwin-rotor and a non-treated SMPH control. No differences in rachis weight were observed between the SMPH treatments. Our results indicate a looser bunch architecture using a harvester and gibberellic acid for yield regulation compared to a non-treated SMPH control. Whereas thinning with the Darwin-rotor resulted in an increase of berry diameter and bunch weight hence more compact bunches.

DOI:

Publication date: September 29, 2023

Issue: GiESCO 2019

Type: Poster

Authors

Jan SCHÄFER*, Matthias FRIEDEL and Manfred STOLL

Hochschule Geisenheim University, Von-Lade-Str. 1, D-65366 Geisenheim, Germany

Contact the author

Keywords

Semi-Minimal-Pruned Hedge (SMPH), yield regulation, thinning, bunch architecture, Darwin-rotor, gibberellic acid

Tags

GiESCO | GiESCO 2019 | IVES Conference Series

Citation

Related articles…

The rootstock, the neglected player in the scion transpiration even during the night

Water is the main limiting factor for yield in viticulture. Improving drought adaptation in viticulture will be an increasingly important issue under climate change. Genetic variability of water deficit responses in grapevine partly results from the rootstocks, making them an attractive and relevant mean to achieve adaptation without changing the scion genotype. The objective of this work was to characterize the rootstock effect on the diurnal regulation of scion transpiration. A large panel of 55 commercial genotypes were grafted onto Cabernet Sauvignon. Three biological repetitions per genotype were analyzed. Potted plants were phenotyped on a greenhouse balance platform capable of assessing real-time water use and maintaining a targeted water deficit intensity. After a 10 days well-watered baseline period, an increasing water deficit was applied for 10 days, followed by a stable water deficit stress for 7 days. Pruning weight, root and aerial dry weight and transpiration were recorded and the experiment was repeated during two years. Transpiration efficiency (ratio between aerial biomass and transpiration) was calculated and δ13C was measured in leaves for the baseline and stable water deficit periods. A large genetic variability was observed within the panel. The rootstock had a significant impact on nocturnal transpiration which was also strongly and positively correlated with maximum daytime transpiration. The correlations with growth and water use efficiency related traits will be discussed. Transpiration data were also related with VPD and soil water content demonstrating the influence of environmental conditions on transpiration. These results highlighted the role of the rootstock in modulating water deficit responses and give insights for rootstock breeding programs aimed at identifying drought tolerant rootstocks. It was also helpful to better define the mechanisms on which the drought tolerance in grapevine rootstocks is based on.

Climate, Viticulture, and Wine … my how things have changed!

The planet is warmer than at any time in our recorded past and increasing greenhouse emissions and persistence in the climate system means that continued warming is highly likely. Climate change has already altered the basic framework of growing grapes for wine production worldwide and will likely continue to do so for years to come. The wine sector can continue to play an important role in leading the agricultural sector in addressing climate change. From developing on…

A multidisciplinary approach to evaluate the effects of the training system on the performance of “Aglianico del Vulture” vineyards

Vineyards are complex agro-ecosystems with high spatial and temporal variability. An efficient training system may counteract the adverse effects of this variability. Moreover, considering the climate change issues, choosing an efficient training system that enhances water use and protects the vines from radiative thermal stress has become a priority for the farmers. A multidisciplinary approach that assesses the soil-crop-yield-wine relationships of vineyards in a distributed and holistic way could bring added knowledge on the behavior of the different training systems. This ongoing research aimed to implement a multidisciplinary approach to study the behavior of “Aglianico del Vulture” grapevines trained with two different systems: a spurred cordon (SC) and an “Alberello in parete” (AL), grown in a high-quality wine production area of Basilicata region (Italy). The approach merged several methods and scales of soil, ecophysiology, must/wine quality, and spectral data collection to assess the influence of the training system. Homogeneous zones (HZs) in both training systems were defined through a procedure based on geomorphological classification, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) images analysis, and a traditional soil survey supported by geophysical scanning. During the 2021 season, TDR probes monitored soil water content, while grapevine health status was assessed using eco-physiological measurements (LWP, chlorophyll content, PSII photosynthetic efficiency, LAI, and point-based field spectroscopy). These grapevine in-vivo measurements validated the spectral vegetation indexes (NDVI, RENDVI, CVI, and TVI) derived from the UAV multispectral imagery, which monitored the grapevine status in a distributed and non-invasive way. Grape yield, quality of berries, must and wine were measured to assess the effects of the training systems. The first experimental year results showed the variability of the vineyards and revealed relationships among soil parameters, crop characteristics, and vegetation indices of the SC and AL training systems. This multidisciplinary study could bring new insights into the vineyard training system’s effects on grape yield and wine quality.

VINIoT: Precision viticulture service for SMEs based on IoT sensors network

The main innovation in the VINIoT service is the joint use of two technologies that are currently used separately: vineyard monitoring using multispectral imaging and deployed terrain sensors. One part of the system is based on the development of artificial intelligence algorithms that are feed on the images of the multispectral camera and IoT sensors, high-level information on water stress, grape ripening status and the presence of diseases. In order to obtain algorithms to determine the state of ripening of the grapes and avoid losing information due to the diversity of the grape berries, it was decided to work along the first year 2020 at berry scale in the laboratory, during the second year at the cluster scale and on the last year at plot scale. Different varieties of white and red grapes were used; in the case of Galicia we worked with the white grape variety Treixadura and the red variety Mencía. During the 2020 and 2021 campaigns, multispectral images were taken in the visible and infrared range of: 1) sets of 100 grapes classifying them by means of densimetric baths, 2) individual bunches. The images taken with the laboratory analysis of the ripening stage were correlated. Technological maturity, pH, probable degree, malic acid content, tartaric acid content and parameters for assessing phenolic maturity, IPT, anthocyanin content were determined. It has been calculated for each single image the mean value of each spectral band (only taking into account the pixels of interest) and a correlation study of these values with laboratory data has been carried out. These studies are still provisional and it will be necessary to continue with them, jointly with the training of the machine learning algorithms. Processed data will allow to determine the sensitivity of the multispectral images and select bands of interest in maturation.

Short-term relationships between climate and grapevine trunk diseases in southern French vineyards

[lwp_divi_breadcrumbs home_text="IVES" use_before_icon="on" before_icon="||divi||400" module_id="publication-ariane" _builder_version="4.19.4" _module_preset="default" module_text_align="center" module_font_size="16px" text_orientation="center"...