Abstract
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Aim</strong>: Light pruning may improve vine yield and quality although vineyard responses are variable. We assessed the effects of traditional manual pruning and mechanical light pruning on the viticultural and oenological performance of <em>Vitis vinifera </em>cv. Bobal and cv. Tempranillo.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Methods and results</strong>: During 2008-2011, Bobal and Tempranillo vineyards underwent traditional pruning or light pruning. The effects of both pruning techniques were determined in vine vigour and yield, and grape and wine characteristics. Both cultivars responded similarly to the pruning techniques assayed: i) light-pruned plants tended to overcrop, ii) grape yield significantly increased with light pruning and produced more clusters with smaller berries, and iii) the oenological characteristics of grapes were slightly affected since fruit ripeness was delayed in mechanically light-pruned vineyards.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Conclusion</strong>: Mechanical light pruning <em>vs.</em> traditional manual pruning offers potential benefits: 30% higher yields; lower cluster and berry weights; a 40% reduction in pruning costs; and production of wines with lower alcohol while maintaining colour and phenolics.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Significance and impact of the study</strong>: No detrimental effect of light pruning on grape characteristics was found, and the wines deriving from these grapevines offered good oenological characteristics. Mechanical light pruning may prove a suitable tool to prolong the vine vegetative cycle, which is reduced by the climate change in the Utiel-Requena region.</p>
Highlights
The impact of crop management, climate and soil on the quality of musts and wines is the basis of much discussion about grapevine (Jackson and Lombard, 1993 ; Keller, 2005 ; Guerra and Steenwerth, 2012)
Mechanical light pruning vs. traditional manual pruning offers potential benefits : 30 % higher yields ; lower cluster and berry weights ; a 40 % reduction in pruning costs ; and production of wines with lower alcohol while maintaining colour and phenolics
Significance and impact of the study : No detrimental effect of light pruning on grape characteristics was found, and the wines deriving from these grapevines offered good oenological characteristics
Summary
The impact of crop management, climate and soil on the quality of musts and wines is the basis of much discussion about grapevine (Jackson and Lombard, 1993 ; Keller, 2005 ; Guerra and Steenwerth, 2012). Until the late 20th century, the commercial application of light or minimal mechanical pruning was delayed and limited technologically. In the 1990’s, mechanical pruning techniques extended rapidly to different winegrowing regions because, in many countries, hand pruning represented 30 % of yearly wine grape production costs. The variations seen in minimally-pruned vines (incompatible climate conditions ; different grapevine cultivars reactions) meant that it was necessary to understand what was happening (McCarthy and Cirami, 1990 ; Clingeleffer et al, 2005)
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