Winter Protection of Grapevines
(book excerpts)Cold damage to grapevines is a worldwide concern but is especially prominent in regions that experience low-winter temperatures. Cold-winter temperatures can damage the buds, canes, cordons, trunks, or roots, and even kill the vine. The plant tissues are injured more when there is an exceedingly fast drop in temperature at night during the winter. Winter injury is also the major cause of crown gall disease development in vines. The economics of these losses to winter injury can be devastating to a vineyard business affecting a vineyard’s profitability for many years. While growers can’t control the weather, they do have some control over their grapevines’ ability to survive through the winter with minimal damage.
Click on the following topics for more information on winter protection of grapevines.
Topics Within This Chapter:
- Winter Injury to Grapevines
- Assessing Winter Injury to Grapevines
- Bud Damage
- Cane and Trunk Damage
- Cold Hardiness in Grapevines
- Acclimation
- Deacclimation
- Assessing Cold Hardiness
- Low Temperature Exotherm
- Factors Influencing Cold Hardiness
- Vineyard Site Selection
- Growing Season Weather Influence
- Grape Varieties
- Cropping Levels
- Vine Health
- Soil Water Status
- Cultural Practices in Managing Cold Temperatures
- Canopy Management
- Training Systems
- Late-Season Irrigation
- Pest Control
- Pruning Strategies
- Mulching
- Active Cold Temperature Management Stategies
- Wind Machines
- Hilling Up the Vines
- Bearing Vines with Soil
- Managing Winter-Injured Grapevines
- Pruning Strategies
- Vine Removal
- Selected References
