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Soil suitability and management for Grapes production

Soil suitability for grapesSoil suitability for grapes

Grape, with a strong root system, can adapt to a wide range

of soil from gravelly sands to clay loam and from shallow to

deep with varying degree of success.

The best suited soils are sandy loams that are well drained

and fairly fertile with good amount of organic matter.

Heavy clay and wet and low lying soils should be avoided.

The grape is moderately tolerant to salinity and alkalinity.

Excessive lime is harmful.

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Vines tolerate moderate salt concentrations, but, presence of

excess salts, especially sodium and free calcium is

detrimental for growth.

Electrical conductivity of soil extract should not be more than

4 dSm-1 and exchangeable sodium content should be less

than 15% for successful viticulture.

Free calcium concentration value exceeding 12% results in

severe iron deficiency to vines.

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High proline content in leaves is attributed to survival of vine

under low to moderate salt stress conditions.

Exogenous application of proline or cytokinins in initial stages of

growth reduces damage by salt stress.

A number of rootstocks are identified to impart salt resistance to

commercial grape varieties.

They include Degrasset, Dogridge, Salt Creek, ARG No.1 and

Vitis riparia. Degrasset and Dogridge are tolerant up to 6.8 and

6.5 dSm-1 under sodium salinity respectively

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Soil moisture content has influence on yield and quality of

grapes.

Moisture stress during first three weeks after anthesis has

direct adverse effect on berry set and size, resulting in poor

yield.

Delayed maturity, poor colour development and reduced

berry size are results of soil moisture stress during berry

development period.

Selective use of rootstocks contributes to successful

cultivation in moisture stress soils.

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METHODS OF SOIL MANAGEMENT PRACTICESMETHODS OF SOIL MANAGEMENT PRACTICES

1. Clean culture

Involves regular ploughing and removal of weeds. Cultivation

should be minimized by avoiding deep and frequent

cultivation and also cultivation when the soil is too wet.

To avoid loss of humus, nitrogen, soil erosion, formation of

hard pan etc.,

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2. Clean culture with cover crops

Involves raising of a cover crop or green manure after removing

the weeds.

Green manure crops like Sunnhemp, Cowpea, Dhaincha,

Lupins etc. are more commonly used.

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Crop residues like straw, cotton stalks, leaves, saw dust, pine

needles, coir dust arid other materials like polythene films or

certain special kinds of paper are spread in the tree basins

and in inter spaces between trees.

Main objective of mulching is to conserve soil moisture and

to control the weed growth.

3. MULCHING

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4. Sod

In this method, permanent cover of grass is raised in the

orchard and no tillage is given.

5. Sod mulch

This is similar to sod with the only difference is that the

vegetation is cut frequently and the cut material is allowed to

remain on the ground.

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6. Intercropping

The practice of growing any economic crop in alley spaces of

the plant or in the unoccupied spaces of the long duration

crop in the early periods is referred as intercropping.

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7. Mixed cropping

It refers to the practice of growing certain perennial crops in

the alley spaces of the main perennial crops.

The main advantage is the effective utilization of available

area and increase in the net income of the farm per unit area.

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8. Multitier system of cropping8. Multitier system of cropping

Intercropping and mixed cropping involve jointly multitier system

of cropping

It defined as a compatible companion of crops having varying

morphological frames and rooting habits, grown together in such

a manner that their canopies intercept solar energy at varying

heights and their roots forage the soil at different zones.

The main principle here is that the land, water and sunlight

should be effectively used.

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