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

Actions by phenological stage

Dormancy Pruning: Half-long bearers (8 buds) with 12–15 buds per m 2 . Apically dominant. Prune late. It’s important to protect the renewal zone and avoid pruning canes too long. Also use hydrogen cyanamide in the Western Cape. Improving bud break: Early applications of hydrogen cyanamide are not recommended. Apply hydrogen cyanamide before bud break to improve bud break. Use according to the product registration. Bud break to flowering 2 cm shoot length: Start with the powdery mildew programme. 3 cm bunch length: Apply kelp products or 1 ppm gibberellic acid plus 1 ppm CPPU (cytokinin) for bunch elongation. 10–15 cm shoot length: Top dominant shoots so that shoots with bunches will all be more or less the same length at flowering. Apply nitrogen according to vigour, but be conservative. 20 cm shoot length: Apply shoot thinning. Remove shoots without bunches. Retain one bunch per shoot. 80–110 cm shoot length: Optimal shoot length at flowering. Flowering to set Warm conditions and strong vigour may cause excessive shatter. In warm areas such as the Orange River, bunches must be tipped at the start of flowering to improve set. In cool temperatures during flowering in the Western Cape, 1 ppm gibberellic acid can be applied when 10%–20% of the bunches are setting. Set to véraison 5 mm berry diameter: Remove leaves around bunches. Shorten bunches to 75–85 berries per bunch. Leave one bunch per shoot with a minimum diameter of 10 mm. Leave 55 000 bunches per hectare. Apply nitrogen according to vigour 6-8 mm berry diameter: Apply 10 ppm gibberellic acid or 7.5 ppm gibberellic acid plus 0.5 ppm CPPU for berry enlargement in the Western Cape. Apply 20 ppm gibberellic acid plus 1 ppm CPPU, followed by 15 ppm gibberellic acid after three days for berry enlargement in the Orange River. Start with a magnesium programme to control berry stem necrosis if necessary. Véraison to harvest ± 20% of berries soft: Open a gap of approximately 30 cm at the top of the canopy. Avoid direct sunlight on bunches. Late handling of bunches can cause surface browning. Remove bunches on weak shoots. Bunches that hang too long to achieve optimal sugar levels can develop internal browning. Harvest to packing Ideal sugar levels at harvest are 17–18 °Brix. Sensitive to surface browning: Handle bunches carefully. Don’t handle turgid grapes on cold mornings after rain or irrigation. Swollen surface cells can break, leading to browning.

SATI GUIDELINES FOR THE PREPARATION OF TABLE GRAPES IN SOUTH AFRICA FOR EXPORT 45