Articles
RESEARCH AND INNOVATION FOR FULL MECHANIZATION OF ITALIAN VINEYARDS AT BOLOGNA UNIVERSITY
Article number
978_16
Pages
151 – 168
Language
English
Abstract
Bologna Universitys Department of Arboriculture has become over the years a main focal point for its research efforts in developing and fine-tuning the concept of integral mechanisation in vineyard training and management and devising innovative approaches in applying it in the countrys viticulture industry.
The basic elements of these efforts include the development of permanent-cordon training systems short-pruned to two-three spur buds that, unlike many conventional long-pruning systems such as Guyot, Sylvoz and Arched Cane, can be both hand- and machine-pruned, with or without manual finishing.
The most important of the systems developed through the year 2000 include the Double Curtain (DC), derived from the American Geneva Double Curtain system (GDC), the classic Spur-Pruned Cordon (SPC) upgraded and refined with structural improvements, and the Free Cordon (FC). It is worth noting that for systems like SPC and FC, which are usually harvested by horizontal shakers, we devised several structural changes to enable harvesting by vertical shaking, an approach that has been fully tested for the DC. Of subsequent development have been such altogether innovative approaches to management as the COMBI and, more recently, the Semi-Minimal Pruned Hedge (SMPH). The COMBI was specifically designed to be harvested by vertical shaker heads and has the added advantage of being applicable also to harvesters and pruners for DC. While the SMPH system is designed for conventional horizontal-shake harvesters, its pruning has been considerably simplified so as to accommodate traditional multiple cutter bars.
In order to further upgrade modern vineyard mechanisation and to control yield and ripening, trials are currently under way to test mechanical devices for early thinning of growing shoots aimed to remove excess growth from extra spurs left after mechanical pruning and to eliminate weak shoots growing from extra laterals buds.
New mechanical devices have also been tested for vertical and horizontal indirect canopy shaking to thin clusters at pea-sized berry stage.
Other trials are currently under way testing various approaches for mechanical defoliation at pre-flowering to reduce yield and improve grape quality and shoot trimming, defoliation or anti-transpirant spray at post-veraison to delay ripening to allow proper sugar accumulation at a higher level of cell maturity.
The basic elements of these efforts include the development of permanent-cordon training systems short-pruned to two-three spur buds that, unlike many conventional long-pruning systems such as Guyot, Sylvoz and Arched Cane, can be both hand- and machine-pruned, with or without manual finishing.
The most important of the systems developed through the year 2000 include the Double Curtain (DC), derived from the American Geneva Double Curtain system (GDC), the classic Spur-Pruned Cordon (SPC) upgraded and refined with structural improvements, and the Free Cordon (FC). It is worth noting that for systems like SPC and FC, which are usually harvested by horizontal shakers, we devised several structural changes to enable harvesting by vertical shaking, an approach that has been fully tested for the DC. Of subsequent development have been such altogether innovative approaches to management as the COMBI and, more recently, the Semi-Minimal Pruned Hedge (SMPH). The COMBI was specifically designed to be harvested by vertical shaker heads and has the added advantage of being applicable also to harvesters and pruners for DC. While the SMPH system is designed for conventional horizontal-shake harvesters, its pruning has been considerably simplified so as to accommodate traditional multiple cutter bars.
In order to further upgrade modern vineyard mechanisation and to control yield and ripening, trials are currently under way to test mechanical devices for early thinning of growing shoots aimed to remove excess growth from extra spurs left after mechanical pruning and to eliminate weak shoots growing from extra laterals buds.
New mechanical devices have also been tested for vertical and horizontal indirect canopy shaking to thin clusters at pea-sized berry stage.
Other trials are currently under way testing various approaches for mechanical defoliation at pre-flowering to reduce yield and improve grape quality and shoot trimming, defoliation or anti-transpirant spray at post-veraison to delay ripening to allow proper sugar accumulation at a higher level of cell maturity.
Authors
C. Intrieri
Keywords
harvesting, pruning, defoliation, grape yield, grape quality, botrytis resistance, grape ripening
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