Impact of training system on ‘Blanc Du Bois’ vegetative growth, yield components and fruit composition

Abstract

‘Blanc Du Bois’ (Vitis spp.) is the most widely grown Pierce’s disease tolerant white grapevine cultivar in Texas. As an interspecific hybrid, its growth habit is seimi-drooping, and 'Blanc Du Bois' is characterized as vigorous. This study evaluated the impact of training system (Mid-Wire Cordon with VSP, Mid-Wire Cane with VSP and Smart-Dyson, High-Wire Quadralateral, and Watson) on 'Blanc Du Bois' growth, yield components, and fruit composition at two locations in Texas. The first site was located in the Rio Grande Valley where the mean extreme minimum winter temperature is -1.1 to 1.7° C (USDA Cold Hardiness Zone 10a). As a result of climate and site conditions, vine size, determined by dormant pruning weight, was very large averaging from 3.71 to 5.56 kg per vine across training systems over a three-year period. At this site, the horizontally divided systems, High-Wire Quadrilateral and Watson were the highest yielding averaging 10.66 and 7.49 kg per vine, respectively, as a result of more shoots per vine, and higher fruitfulness. The Mid-Wire Cordon and Mid-Wire Cane Pruned Training Systems had lower yields in two out of three years, but fruit maturity indices soluble solids and pH reflected more advanced maturity at harvest. At the second site, located in the Central Gulf Coast of Texas (USDA Cold Hardiness Zone 8b), vines were less vigorous with pruning weights averaging 1.66 to 1.83 kg per vine across training systems over three years. Consistent differences in yield components, vine size, and fruit composition were not observed, and all the three training systems under study had acceptable growth and fruiting characteristics. The results of this research suggest that 'Blanc Du Bois’ vigor potential and growth habit makes it well-suited for horizontally divided canopy training systems, particularly on vigorous sites.

‘Blanc Du Soleil’: A Wine Grape for the Southeast United States

“…In Goliad, 90 own-rooted vines were planted in 2015 and produced fruit beginning in 2017. The vines in the trial were trained using the Watson Training System (Scheiner et al 2020) at a row by vine spacing of 3.66 × 2.44 m. Viticulture data collection for 2018-22 at Goliad included budbreak, bloom, and harvest dates; soluble solids; titratable acidity; pH; and, in 2018 and 2019, yield per vine, cluster weight, berry size, and dormant pruning weight. The soil at the Goliad site was a Raisin loamy fine sand with a pH of 7.5 (USDA-NRCS).…”

‘Southern Sensation Seedless’ Grape

“…In Somerville, a 20-vine plot was established in 2017. Vines were grafted onto 'Paulsen 1103' rootstock and trained to the Watson Training System (Scheiner et al, 2020). Row-by-vine spacing was 3.04 × 2.44 m. The first crop was produced in 2020, and data regarding berry weight, berry size, cluster weight, number of berries per cluster, soluble solids, juice pH, and titratable acidity were collected.…”