Alternative nursery propagation for vineyards establishment

Dead vines are often a problem present in many vineyards and are due to physiological or pathological causes whereby the vines need to be replaced. The aim of the trial was to create in the nursery plant material of four cultivars in order to easily replace the dead vines in the vineyards but also to anticipate the first harvest and to improve the vineyard uniformity and synchronize the vineyard management practices during the first two years of plantation. During the first year in the nursery, the effect of plant density on the percentage of success and vegetative growth was evaluated. During the second year, in the open field and only for one cultivar, the vegetative and reproductive parameters were evaluated in vines with or without bunches. Results in the nursery showed that the row spacing did not affect nursery success. Only the cultivars showed significant effects. Instead, plant density influenced the stock and shoot diameters that were increased by the widest in-row spacing. Results in the field showed that bunch removal affected shoot elongation, daily shoot growth, stem diameter, pruning mass and root mass. Yield was strongly related with the nursery shoot diameter. Crop load affected root mass.