The Effect of Vine Architecture in New England Vineyards Gouveia

The Effect of Vine Architecture in
New England Vineyards
Gouveia Vineyard
Wallingford, CT
Francis J. Ferrandino
Department of Plant Pathology and Ecology
The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station
Background and Rationale:
Most inland New England growers continue to
depend on French-American hybrids or other
cold-hardy cultivars for the bulk of their
production.
These hybrids are much more vigorous than the
old-world vinifera
Saint Croix
Can different canopy structure
increase productivity?
… without affecting fruit quality?
To answer these questions we
established a 0.5 A plot at
Gouveia Vineyard in Wallingford CT
Treatments
Four training systems were followed:
• Vertical Shoot Positioning (VSP)
– Mid-wire trained
– Catch wires above
– Hedged
• Hudson River Umbrella (HRU)
– Top-wire trained
– Combed
• Smart-Dyson (SD)
– Vertically divided canopy, mid-wire trained.
– Catch wires above and below
• Geneva Double Curtain (GDC)
– Horizontally divided canopy, top-wire trained.
– Combed
VSP
Vertical Shoot Positioning
HRU
Hudson River Umbrella
Pruning Method
• Fruit is borne on canes from last years buds.
• A single cane from last year can supply many
buds.
• Cane pruning uses last year’s canes to become
a cordon.
• Spur pruning cuts back the cordon to last
years wood.
Cane Pruning
Spur Pruning
Split Canopies
The more cordon length … more potential yield
• Vertical splitting … Smart Dyson
• Horizontal splitting … Geneva Double Curtain
VSP
Vertical Shoot Positioning
SD/SH
Smart Dyson- Scott Henry
HRU
Hudson River Umbrella
GDC
Geneva Double Curtain
Treatments
Four training systems were followed:
• Vertical Shoot Positioning (VSP)
– Mid-wire trained
– Catch wires above
– Hedged
• Hudson River Umbrella (HRU)
– Top-wire trained
– Combed
• Smart-Dyson (SD)
– Vertically divided canopy, mid-wire trained.
– Catch wires above and below
• Geneva Double Curtain (GDC)
– Horizontally divided canopy, top-wire trained.
– Combed
2015 was a DRY year!
• There were no major disease problems
• Yield depended on cordon length
• Cane-pruned vines suffered winter damage!
2015
10
Cane 1.83 m
9
Spur 1.83 m
8
Spur 2.44 m
Yield (kg)
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
GDC
HRU
SD/SH
VSP
Cane 1.83 m
3
2015
Spur 1.83 m
Yield/meter (kg/m)
Spur 2.44 m
2
1
0
GDC
HRU
SD/SH
VSP
2014 was a wet year!
• Downy Mildew was a major problem
• Grape leaves close to the ground stay wet
longer
• This resulted in yield loss for VSP and SD/SH
treatments.
10
2014
Cane 1.83 m
9
Spur 1.83 m
8
Spur 2.44 m
Yield (kg)
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
GDC
HRU
SD/SH
VSP
2.50
Cane 1.83 m
Yield (kg/meter)
2.00
Spur 1.83 m
Spur 2.44 m
1.50
1.00
0.50
0.00
GDC
HRU
SD/SH
VSP
2014
What about Quality?
• Fruit analysis was relatively constant for all
treatments
Cane 1.83 m
30
2015
Spur 1.83 m
25
Spur 2.44 m
Brix
20
15
10
5
0
GDC
HRU
SD/SH
VSP
Cane 1.83 m
30
2014
Spur 1.83 m
25
Spur 2.44 m
Brix
20
15
10
5
0
GDC
HRU
SD/SH
VSP
Cane 1.83 m
5.00
2015
Spur 1.83 m
4.80
Spur 2.44 m
4.60
4.40
pH
4.20
4.00
3.80
3.60
3.40
3.20
3.00
GDC
HRU
SD/SH
VSP
Cane 1.83 m
5.00
2014
Spur 1.83 m
4.80
Spur 2.44 m
4.60
4.40
pH
4.20
4.00
3.80
3.60
3.40
3.20
3.00
GDC
HRU
SD/SH
VSP
Results
• Doubling cordon length doubles yield
• This requires twice the pruning and training
• However, more inter-row spacing may reduce
efficiency.
• Low canopies are more prone to disease
• Denser canopies promote fruit rots
The Effect of Vine Architecture in
New England Vineyards
Gouveia Vineyard
Wallingford, CT
Francis J. Ferrandino
Department of Plant Pathology and Ecology
The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station
francis.ferrandino@ct.gov