ARS | Publication request: Wind—Friend or Foe of Canopy Management?

Submitted to: Good Fruit Grower
Publication Type: Trade Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: March 1, 2009
Publication Date: April 15, 2009
Citation: Tarara, J.M., Hoheisel, G. 2009. Wind—Friend or Foe of Canopy Management? Good Fruit Grower. 60(8):34.

Technical Abstract: Trellising and training in vineyards represent money and effort invested to maximize canopy photosynthesis and to optimize solar radiation exposure at the fruit. Canopies that are symmetrical around the cordon are desired, and vineyard managers often follow conventional wisdom of orienting vine rows north-south to balance total solar radiation on both sides of the canopy. Even in symmetrically-trained vines, exposure to high or sustained winds can stunt shoots and redirect growth windward, creating an unbalanced canopy architecture. Intuitively, we perceive these effects in windy locations. Previous research showed smaller fruit clusters on the windward side of vines, hypothesized to be caused by disrupted berry set. This research article summarizes an assessment of shoot geometry and wind-shaped canopy architecture, and their effects on solar radiation at the fruit.