WINETECH Technical Yearbook 2021

VITICULTURE RESEARCH | JUNE 2021

FIGURE 1. The vines in their third leaf. Note the plastic on the berms.

The objective of this project is to compare the drought tolerance of selected cultivars, with reference cultivars.

WINE GRAPES REQUIRE SUFFICIENT WATER for sustainable yields and wine quality. According to climate predictions, rainfall could decrease in the Western Cape over time. This would have a negative effect in the drier regions, for example the Swartland, where vineyards are either dryland cultivated or with limited water. In regions where irrigation is available, low rainfall in the catchment areas often necessitate water restrictions, e.g. in the Lower Olifants River. During droughts, unacceptably low yields with possible poor wine quality can occur. Drought tolerance refers to the ability of a plant to adjust to an arid climate or during a drought. The risk of crop losses and poor quality in dryland, as well as irrigated vineyards, can thus be decreased if proven drought-tolerant cultivars can be planted on a larger scale.

Evaluation of the drought tolerance of 17 wine grape cultivars under dryland conditions – observations in the establishment phase PHILIP MYBURGH, CAROLYN HOWELL & KAREN FREITAG: ARC Infruitec-Nietvoorbij, Stellenbosch KEYWORDS: Drought tolerance, grape cultivars, dryland farming.

WINETECH TECHNICAL YEARBOOK 2021 | 28