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

Actions by phenological stage

Dormancy Pruning: Half-long bearers (6–8 buds) with 12–15 buds per m 2 . This cultivar is fertile, but bunches on half-long bearers or canes are less compact than bunches on spurs. Improving bud break: Apply hydrogen cyanamide before bud break to advance the harvest date or improve bud break. Use according to the product registration. Bud break to flowering 2 cm shoot length: Start with the powdery mildew programme. 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. 20 cm shoot length: Thin shoots. Remove weak shoots and shoots without bunches. Retain the bottom bunch on shoots. 80–110 cm shoot length: Optimal shoot length at flowering. Flowering to set Start of flowering: Don’t remove any leaves or top shoots, as this will hinder the thinning process. Full bloom: Thin with 1 ppm gibberellic acid. Add low concentrations (1.0%) of low-biuret urea under cold conditions and in vineyards with marginal vigour. Chemical thinning may be unnecessary in warm conditions (Orange River). Set to véraison 50% of berries with 6–7 mm diameter: Remove leaves around bunches. Leave 52 500 bunches per hectare. Apply nitrogen according to vigour. Loosen compact bunches if necessary. Start with a magnesium programme to control berry stem necrosis if necessary. Véraison to harvest ± 5% colour: This cultivar colours readily, and ethephon is not usually needed. However, it may sometimes be necessary to apply 40 ml ethephon per 100 litres of water in the Orange River. ± 20% colour: Prune the apex of the trellis to open a gap of approximately 30 cm. Avoid direct sunlight on bunches. ± 75% of berries soft: Remove bunches on vines with poor colour compared with other vines. Harvest to packing Ideal sugar levels at harvest are 16 °Brix. Sensitive to hairline cracks: Don’t handle turgid grapes on cold mornings after rain or irrigation. Apply 1 ppm cytokinin for berry enlargement. Shorten bunches to 70–80 berries per bunch.

Maintain the cold chain to prevent condensation. Sensitive to SO 2 -damage: Use paper on the grapes. Use 4–5 mm perforated bags and a MAM sheet.

SATI GUIDELINES FOR THE PREPARATION OF TABLE GRAPES IN SOUTH AFRICA FOR EXPORT 61