7. Canopy Management

Question 1

What is Canopy Management?

Answer 1

Canopy management involves the organisation of the shoots, leaves and fruit of the vine in order to maximise grape yield and quality.

Question 2

What is bud fruitfullness?

Answer 2

describes the number of inflorescences developing inside a latent bud.

Question 3

What are the main aims of canopy management?

Answer 3

• maximise light
• reduce the shade

*promote uniform microclimate and ripening of grapes

*balancing vegetive/reproductive growth through availability of light (bud fruitfulness)

*arrange the vine canopy to ease mechanisation and/or manual labour

*promote air circulation to reduce risk of disease.

Question 4

The effects of promoting sunlight exposure within the canopy include:

Answer 4

*increased sugar levels

*increased tannin levels and greater polymerisation of those tannins (less bitter)
*enhanced anthocyanin (colour)

*decreased malic acid

*increased levels of some favourable aroma precursors and aroma compounds (such as terpenes, which are responsible for many of the fruity and floral)

*decreased methoxypyrazines

Question 5

What is undercropping

Answer 5

Yield of of fruit is too low for vine vigour. Can also result in dense canopy (less sunlight interception) and less bud fruitfulness resulting in vegetative cycle.

Question 6

Light interception

Answer 6

the amount of sunlight that is captured and absorbed by a plant canopy,

Question 7

Plant propagation

Answer 7

Is the process by which new plants grow from various sources, including seeds, cuttings, and other plant parts. Can be natural or man made