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GRAPE GRO WING March April May Bud break (left) gives way to leaves and grape buds at Cline Cellars in the Carneros District of Sonoma, Calif. growers to control the crop load on the vines. For quality fruit in a moderately vigorous vineyard, the target is about 15 shoots per meter, or 5 shoots per foot. That would be the equivalent of slightly more than two 2-bud spurs per foot. Yields then result in about 4 to 6 tons per acre, assuming that you will end up with 30 clusters per meter of cordon or cane on a vine. You adjust up or down by either leaving more buds or thinning fruit. Historic clus- ter weights and crop yields help the vineyard manager to adjust crop load based on experiences in a particular vineyard. View video in the Wines & Vines Digital Edition. Researchers describe new methods of vineyard yield estimation in this video- slide presentation. The flowering process Grape flowers are technically called a panicle inflores- cence, meaning that it is a collection of individual flowers, one for each berry. Flower buds are found on the emerging green tissue of the vine. Bloom normally happens about six to eight weeks after bud break, depending on tempera- tures, with warmth accelerating the bloom. Cool, wet weather definitely delays flowering. Once bloom begins, grape flowers will bloom and set for eight to 10 days. If it has been cool for a long period and then warms up, the bloom might be more concentrat- ed, and fruit will set in fewer days. Typically, the flowers start to bloom at the bottom of the clus- ter and open and pollinate towards the tip. The flowers are self- fertile, so wind pollination and insect pollinators are not required for fruit set. As the anthers open, pollen is thrown onto the stigma, and a pollen tube grows down through the style into the ovule, where fertilization occurs. Increasing seed numbers appear to in- COST EFFECTIVE FOOD, WINE AND BEVERAGE ANALYSIS TEST MENU INCLUDES Acetic Acid Ammonia Copper Ethanol Glucose/Fructose Citric Acid Free + Total S02 FOOD DIAGNOSTICS Lactic Acid Iron Malic Acid Potassium TAS NEW TESTS COMING SOON Nopa Tartaric Acid T +1 304 728 2890 E enquiries@randoxfooddiagnostics.com www.randoxfooddiagnostics.com Full Service Wine Compliance Licensing & Permits ABC & TTB 707 • 963 • 9733 www.divinecompliance.com Wines & Vines JUne 2012 53 crease berry size and weight. Rain and cool temperatures will in- terfere with pollination and cause clusters to be light. High heat (temperatures above 95ºF) will do the same thing. Varieties differ in cluster shape and weight. Some can have many wings and grow quite large such as Grenache and Sangiovese. Others are quite small and compact such as Pinot Noir and Char- donnay. Large, clustered varieties may need fewer buds during pruning and thinning to meet quality goals for flavorful wines. estimating the current season's crop Some wineries and growers will hire consultants to dissect buds and investigate how flower primordia are sizing up before the sea- son begins. This requires great lab technique and is still somewhat inaccurate because you can't predict what weather will be like during bloom. Weed Badger® works when in-row weeds are too tough for touch up tools Heavy-duty options & attachments for any weed. Any size. Anytime. Call factory-direct for pricing and availability! Mower head Cyclone Spade 800-437-3392 • www.weedbadger.com