Long term study of alternative training systems for steep slope viticulture in Douro region – cv. Touriga Franca
Abstract
Douro´s, the Port Wine Region can be characterized by having a Mountain Viticulture on hillsides with steep slopes and a hot climate.
The models for planting vineyards in its hillsides evaluated along the ages, but after the inscription of the Alto Douro Wine Region in the List of World Heritage Sites by UNESCO, in 2001, the narrow terraces with less than 2.5 meters width and one row of vines became mandatory in slopes higher than 30-40%.
Due to that a trial of two different training systems, the traditional “Vertical Shoot Positioning” (VSP), and a double cordon with part of the canopy trained upwards and part downwards, the ARPALYS 2/3 CQ1, were studied from 2007 to 2011 in a vineyard planted with the variety Touriga Franca, grafted on 110R.
The results showed that the ARPALYS 2/3 CQ1 reached a yield 56.8% superior to the VSP, without any detrimental impact on the quality parameters or the vigour.
Issue: GiESCO 2013
Type: Oral
Authors
1 Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto – Departamento de Geociências, Ambiente e Ordenamento do Território, Rua Campo Alegre 687, 4169 – 007 Porto, Portugal
2 Laboratório Associado REQUIMTE/SAECA, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto.
3 Centro de Investigação em Ciências Geo-espaciais, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade do Porto.
4 Direcção Reg. Agricultura e Pescas Norte, Centro de Estudos Vitivinícolas do Douro – Quinta do Paço, 5050-071 Peso da Régua.
5 Instituto Superior de Agronomia – Universidade Técnica de Lisboa -Tapada da Ajuda, 1399 Lisboa Codex.
6 The Fladgate Partnership Vinhos, S. A., R. Barão de Forrester, 404, 4400 V.N. Gaia