Cane pruning on Chardonnay grapevine in the high-altitude regions of Southern Brazil

Abstract

High-altitude regions of southern Brazil, located above 900 m above sea level, the cordon training with spur pruning is widely used because of easier application. In these regions, Chardonnay wine grape shows potential to produce quality wines, however, in commercial vineyards, the training system used has not provided productivities that makes economically viable the cultivation of this variety. Given this, the present study aimed to evaluate the effect of different cane-pruning systems on the vegetative, productive and enological potential of Chardonnay grapevines grown in the high-altitude region of Southern Brazil. The experiment was conducted in a commercial Chardonnay vineyard, located in Sao Joaquim – Santa Catarina State (28o 17 ′39”S and 49∘ 55′56” W, to 1230 m a.s.l) during 2015 and 2016 vintages. Chardonnay vines (grafted on 1103 Paulsen) were planted in 2010, with a 3.0 m (row) × 1.0 m (vine) spacing. The treatments consisted of different cane-pruning systems: Cordon spur-pruning (control); Sylvoz; Cazenave; Capovolto; single Guyot and double Guyot. Pruning was performed in August of each year when the buds were in the green tip developmental stage. Data was analyzed by Scott Knott test (p g−1 grape at 2016 vintage. Commercial maturity of grapes (soluble solids, acidity and polyphenols) did not differ among training systems studied. The results suggest that cane-pruning systems could be an alternative to increase production efficiency of Chardonnay in high-altitude region of southern Brazil.