PCC January/February 2018

quadrilateral cordons and spur pruned
in an attempt to maximize vine yield
potential. Moreover, many growers are
striving to achieve the earliest possible
financial returns by completing trunk,
and even cordon, training in the first
year after planting. However, this is
difficult with Pinot gris, a variety having
relatively low vigor, and an excessively
aggressive approach could lead to
overcropping, which may have long term
negative consequences for the vines and
ultimately limit their productivity over
time.
PISTACHIOS
ALMONDS
WALNUTS
Figure 2 Top: control in 2016; Bottom: 0 cluster per
shoot in 2016
In order to provide a guideline for
crop load of newly planted Pinot gris in
the SJV, a field study in a commercial
vineyard in western Fresno county was
initiated in April, 2016. The vineyard
was planted in February, 2015 with
dormant bench grafted vines of Pinot
gris (FPS clone 04) grafted on Freedom
rootstocks. Vines were trained to quadrilateral
cordons that were supported by
trellises with 18-inch wide cross arms, 54
inches above the ground. The vineyard
was planted with row spacing of 11 feet
and vine spacing of 5 feet with trunk and
cordon training completed in 2015. Four
levels of cluster thinning were applied in
April, 2016, before bloom when shoots
were approximately 12 inches long. Clusters
were clipped off of shoots, or not,
to achieve four different levels of crop
load; 0 cluster per shoot (0),
1 cluster per 2 shoots (1/2), 1
cluster per shoot (1), and nonthinned
as control (Figure
1, page 20). No further crop
load adjustments were made
thereafter, but vine growth,
yield, and berry compositions
data were collected annually to
determine the initial and subsequent
effects that cropload
adjustment in the first fruiting
year may have over the course
of the first three seasons. All
vines were subjected to the
same irrigation, fertilization,
and pest control practices as
deemed fit by the grower.
Differences in canopy
size were observed by veraison
2016, with non-thinned
vines having the smallest
canopies, whereas defruited
vines (0 clusters per shoot)
Continued on Page 22
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January/February 2018
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