Canopy and cropload management in hybrid winegrapes

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Canopy and cropload management in hybrid
winegrapes

• Justine Vanden Heuvel
• Ching Sun, Gavin Sacks

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Whats wrong with this picture?
Cabernet Sauvignon in Australia Whats wrong
with this picture?
Smart and Robinson, 1991
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Riesling in NYS Cluster exposure impacts flavor
and aroma composition
Meyers, 2010
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Chardonnay in NYS Open canopies result in better
spray coverage
Austin, 2010
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Open canopies have lower incidence of disease
Wilcox and Austin, 2009
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How do we achieve an open, balanced hybrid canopy?
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Hybrid canopy management studies

• Foch
• Shoot thinning and harvest date
• Seyval blanc
• Shoot thinning and cluster thinning
• Corot Noir
• Shoot thinning and cluster thinning
• Noiret
• Shoot thinning and leaf removal

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Shoot thinning, harvest date Marechal Foch 2007
Control
Shoot-thinned
Early harvest Sept. 11 Late harvest Sept. 18
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Foch
a
a
b
b
CE control, early harvest, CL control, late
harvest STE shoot thinned, early harvest, STL
shoot thinned, late harvest
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Foch
a
a
b
b
CE control, early harvest, CL control, late
harvest STE shoot thinned, early harvest, STL
shoot thinned, late harvest
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Foch

• Brix 22.7 - 24.3 (harvest date only)
• pH 3.62 - 3.70 (harvest date only)
• TA 8.67 9.50 g/L (ST and harvest date)

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Foch
a
a
a
a
b
b
b
b
CE control, early harvest, CL control, late
harvest STE shoot thinned, early harvest, STL
shoot thinned, late harvest
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Foch
Ratio of compound peak to IS peak area
CE control, early harvest, CL control, late
harvest STE shoot thinned, early harvest, STL
shoot thinned, late harvest
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ST and harvest date impact Foch aroma compounds
fruit, banana, apple, rose
sweet, clove, smoke, bandaid
solvent, fruit, potato, chocolate
sweat, cheese
grass, green
flower, apple
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Foch Triangle Tests
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Foch Triangle Tests

• Shoot thinned late harvest preferred over Control
  late harvest
• Shoot thinned late harvest preferred over Shoot
  thinned early harvest

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Maintaining revenue per acre in Foch vineyard
Control (2007) ST (2007) Control (2008) ST (2008)
Yield (t/a) 4.1 3.3 7.0 5.3
Rev. per acre 2,460 - 4,662 -
Add. costs per acre 0 54 0 54
Add. cost per ton 0 16.36 0 10.18
Req. price/ton 600 761 666 890
Add. bottle price 0 0.22 0 0.31
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Canopy management of Seyval
Shoot-thinned (5 shoots per foot)
Control
Treatments shoot-thinned, cluster-thinned,
shoot-thinned cluster-thinned
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Seyval
Con control, ST shoot-thinned, CT
cluster-thinned, STCT shoot-thinned
cluster-thinned
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Seyval
Con control, ST shoot-thinned, CT
cluster-thinned, STCT shoot-thinned
cluster-thinned
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Seyval
pH 3.52 3.65 TA 7.54 8.09 g/L
Con control, ST shoot-thinned, CT
cluster-thinned, STCT shoot-thinned
cluster-thinned
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To maintain revenue of 7,356 per acre in Seyval
vineyard
Control ST CT STCT
Yield (t/a) 12.0 9.6 8.1 6.6
Add. costs per acre 0 54 62 116
Add. cost per ton 0 5.62 7.65 17.57
Req. price per ton 613 772 915 1,132
Add. bottle price 0 0.22 0.42 0.72
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Choosing a training system
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Noiret on VSP
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Managing hybrid canopies

• Same concepts apply as in vinifera but
  different practices are required to achieve a
  balanced, open canopy
• Choose training system and CM practices based on
  growth habit (upright vs. procumbent),
  anticipated vigor, site, and growing season
• Dont undercrop! (But dont overcrop).
  Calculate cropload on 5 sentinel vines per acre.
• ST and CT if needed (often on vigorous hybrids)