The influence of grapevine canopy management on vineyard productivity in Steep environments

Abstract

To study the response of grapes to canopy management under the Steppe

environment and to elaborate effective agrotechnics for non-irrigated cultivation. The research was conducted at the NSC „V.Ye. Tairov IV&W” experimental plots

from 2016 to 2020. Different horizontal vine cordon positions were tested in the experimental vineyard of wine grape cultivar `Aromatnyi`, with heights ranging from 0.4 m to 0.8 m, 1.2 m, and 1.6 m.

The weight of yield per vine (kg/vine) was determined during the grape harvest. The yield of the vineyard (t/ha) was calculated. Manual labor costs including grape harvest (man-hours) per hectare of vineyard and per unit of yield depending on variants of canopy management were calculated.

The highest yield was established at the position of the vine cordon at a height of 1.2 m with free-growing of shoots, and the minimum – at a height of 1.6 m with downward shoot positioning. The yield weight, on average for five years of research, at a cordon height of 1.2 m is 11.6 t/ha. Reducing the cordon height to 0.8 m reduced the productivity of vines by 13.8%, to 0.4 m – by 25.9%. A reduction of yield weight by 42.2% was observed when cordon height was increased to 1.6 m.

The total manual labor costs, including harvesting, can vary from 432 to 635 man-hours per production cycle, depending on vineyard canopy management.