SATI Beyond The Bunch 2nd Quarter 2026

The key takeaways

Phase 1 Figure 1 shows the cane masses of the rootstocks for those sites where there were significant differences between rootstocks. Cane mass is a proxy for vigour. It can be seen that Ramsey had above-average vigour at all sites. In contrast, SO 4 had variable vigour. Therefore, Ramsey is more stable for this trait than SO 4. Harmony was the most vigorous at two of the four sites (Vorentoe and Yarona) but it lacked Ramsey's consistency across the span of the trial. This suggests that Harmony's performance is strongly influenced by its environment.

Figure 2 shows yield differences for all sites combined, as well as for sites where there were significant differences between rootstocks. Here, both Ramsey and SO 4 were consistently high-yielding. On the other hand, Richter 110, while performing well in general, had low yields at Yarona. This suggests that Richter 110 is less stable for this trait than Ramsey or SO 4. SO 4 stood out as the most stable rootstock for high yield production across sites and seasons.

Figure 1. Cane mass in kg for the rootstocks at the sites where they differed significantly. Left to right: lowest to highest.

Figure 2. Yields in kg for the rootstocks overall and at the sites where they differed significantly. Left to right: lowest to highest.

BEYOND THE BUNCH • 6 • QUARTER 2 • 2026