Guidelines for the preparation of table grapes in SA for export 2025/2026_ND

8–12 mm berry diameter • Do the second snipping out of unwanted berries before bunch closure. • Selectively continue crop load management. • Collect leaf samples for macro- and micro-element analysis. • As soon as young vines have grown a secateur length past the bottom canopy wire, top the shoot 5 cm above the wire and remove the extra shoot. • Treat for botrytis, powdery mildew, and downy mildew. Véraison and immediately thereafter • Remove the last one or two weak bunches from vines, especially vines which show comparatively poor colour development. • Maintain an opening of at least 30 cm in the canopy. • Ethephon and abscisic acid can be applied to cultivars that struggle with colour development. Follow instructions carefully. • Protect the bunches of sensitive cultivars from sunburn and birds. • In young vines, tie the lateral shoots that developed below the wire to the bottom trellis wire. • Treat for fruit flies. Two weeks before harvest • Snip out the last damaged berries, but be careful not to cause further damage or marks, especially on white grapes. • Stop treating black and red grapes with ethephon. • Ensure optimal irrigation, particularly with regard to long-term irrigation that penetrates the subsoil. This helps during heatwaves and prevents loose berries and berry splitting. • Treat for botrytis. • Apply lures and baits for fruit flies and false codling moths. • Pay attention to the withholding periods for chemical sprays on fruit. Harvest • Harvest and handle fruit as described in handling and grading guidelines. • Update harvest predictions continuously. • Make sure of grape maturity. If unsure, discuss the results of the maturity tests with the inspectors. It is unnecessary to lose the crop now! • Pay careful attention to pack-house hygiene. • Don’t pack soft grapes immediately after rain or heavy dew. This will lead to berries cracking and developing decay inside bags. • After rain and during heatwaves, handle grapes according to the exporter’s recommendations and as detailed in the cultivar descriptions. • If grapes are wet for more than three hours after rain, packing should stop so that latent botrytis infections can manifest. Sanitise vineyards by manually removing infected berries, followed by chemical control of botrytis. • Keep an eye on the relative humidity. If it drops below 40%, protect grapes against moisture loss.

24 SATI GUIDELINES FOR THE PREPARATION OF TABLE GRAPES IN SOUTH AFRICA FOR EXPORT