Articles
Vineyard design revised from first principles, to maximise yield, wine quality and mechanisation
Article number
1395_58
Pages
439 – 446
Language
English
Abstract
This presentation is a work in progress, a literature review to be separately published for vineyard audiences.
This review has led us to a proposal for a modern vineyard design for vigorous vineyards.
The design is based on maximizing solar energy interception by grapevine canopies so managed as to maximise yield expression while maintaining the fruit microclimate to optimize quality.
Most (3/4) of Australian vineyards are very vigorous and grown in hot inland regions with plentiful irrigation.
They are mechanically hedged as a form of winter pruning or given minimal pruning. They are typically trained on simple trellis systems in a wide row configuration.
Shaded leaves and fruit predominate in the non-shoot positioned canopies.
An improved design we propose uses narrow row spacing of say 1.3 m with wide in-row vine spacing of ≈4 m.
Narrow row spacing will increase sunlight interception, and the wider in-row spacing leads to higher bud and shoot numbers vine‑1, causing shoot devigouration due to early season meristem competition for stored reserves.
The potential exposed canopy surface area for our redesigned vineyard is ≈26,920 m2 ha‑1, some 235% greater than the present ≈12,500 m2 ha‑1. The vines would be trained to two vertical canopy tiers, one trained upwards and the lower downwards.
Spur pruned Smart Dyson or Scott Henry will be used with one or two cordons per vine.
Photosynthesis is promoted by appropriate shoot spacing of ≈16 shoots m‑1 for each canopy, also facilitating fruit exposure important for wine quality.
Mechanization will be provided by over-row straddle tractors for all operations with onboard imaging systems to facilitate spur and shoot density measurement and adjustment, also canopy density analysis of fruit exposure and canopy gaps.
We anticipate doubling yield and improving quality.
This review has led us to a proposal for a modern vineyard design for vigorous vineyards.
The design is based on maximizing solar energy interception by grapevine canopies so managed as to maximise yield expression while maintaining the fruit microclimate to optimize quality.
Most (3/4) of Australian vineyards are very vigorous and grown in hot inland regions with plentiful irrigation.
They are mechanically hedged as a form of winter pruning or given minimal pruning. They are typically trained on simple trellis systems in a wide row configuration.
Shaded leaves and fruit predominate in the non-shoot positioned canopies.
An improved design we propose uses narrow row spacing of say 1.3 m with wide in-row vine spacing of ≈4 m.
Narrow row spacing will increase sunlight interception, and the wider in-row spacing leads to higher bud and shoot numbers vine‑1, causing shoot devigouration due to early season meristem competition for stored reserves.
The potential exposed canopy surface area for our redesigned vineyard is ≈26,920 m2 ha‑1, some 235% greater than the present ≈12,500 m2 ha‑1. The vines would be trained to two vertical canopy tiers, one trained upwards and the lower downwards.
Spur pruned Smart Dyson or Scott Henry will be used with one or two cordons per vine.
Photosynthesis is promoted by appropriate shoot spacing of ≈16 shoots m‑1 for each canopy, also facilitating fruit exposure important for wine quality.
Mechanization will be provided by over-row straddle tractors for all operations with onboard imaging systems to facilitate spur and shoot density measurement and adjustment, also canopy density analysis of fruit exposure and canopy gaps.
We anticipate doubling yield and improving quality.
Authors
R. Smart, C. Candolfi, C. Collins, A. Reynolds, S. Tustin
Keywords
canopy management, Smart Dyson training, sunlight interception, vineyard design
Groups involved
- Division Temperate Tree Nuts
- Division Vine and Berry Fruits
- Division Temperate Tree Fruits
- Division Precision Horticulture and Engineering
- Division Plant-Environment Interactions in Field Systems
- Division Tropical and Subtropical Fruit and Nuts
- Working Group Precision Management of Orchards and Vineyards
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