Technical Yearbook 2023

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Manipulating Sauvignon blanc ripening through shoot trimming and crop reduction By Carien Coetzee

The effect of canopy management strategies on the berry composition and harvest dates of Sauvignon blanc was investigated in a study 1 performed by a New Zealand research group. Introduction The leaf area to fruit mass ratio is a source-sink ratio that may have an important influence on grape development and maturity during ripening. Both the leaf area, as well as the

fruit mass, can be manipulated through viticultural practices such as leaf/shoot removal and crop thinning. Materials and methods The study was conducted in a commercial vineyard in the Wairau Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand. Sauvignon blanc vines (clone MS) were used in this trial. The canopy management strategies included: 1. Trimming the shoots (no leaf removal in the bunch zone) to six or 12 main leaves per shoot, and/or 2. Removing bunches (0, 50 or 75% bunch removal). The canopy management strategies were applied either

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TECHNICAL YEARBOOK 2023