The Efect of Green Harvest on the Quality of Organic Grapes Cultivated in Murfatlar Viticultural Centre

Abstract

Abstract In viticulture, the control of the crop load is largely used as an important instrument for the regulation of yield and grape quality, which in turn leads to quality wines. One of the practices for the regulation of crop load, often used for table grapes, is the green harvest, that is, the removal of some unripe bunches in order to drive more of the vines' strength towards the remaining clusters. At present this practice is also applied for wine grapes, regulating in this way the yield and the quality of grapes and wines, due to a better accumulation of sugar in the berries of the remaining bunches and a better accumulation of aromatic and colour compounds into the grape skins. In this paper we present the results regarding the usability and agro-biological behaviour to green harvesting of two vine cultivars (Feteasca neagra and Cabernet Sauvignon) grown in organic plantations in Murfatlar vine region, as compared to controls without cluster thinning. The main parameters followed were the indicators of grape quality (sugar concentration, total acidity, pH, anthocyanins and total polyphenolic index) and the technological parameters (the average weight of the cluster, the weight and number of the berries, the rachis weight and the yield per vine). The statistical analysis of the results showed that the green harvest had a beneficial effect on the grape composition and wine quality for both varieties.