WSET Diploma D1 Exercises (Canopy Management)

Answer

The primary goals of canopy management are to optimize sunlight exposure by maximizing light interception and minimizing shading within the canopy. Increased sunlight exposure enhances bud fruitfulness, leading to higher yields in the following season. Additionally, greater light availability boosts photosynthesis, allowing the vine to ripen a larger quantity of fruit. When sunlight exposure is optimized, grapes undergo beneficial changes, including higher sugar accumulation, increased tannin content, and improved tannin polymerization.

Another important goal is to achieve a balance between the vine’s vegetative growth and fruit production. Effective canopy management helps the vine distribute its resources efficiently, supporting optimal fruit ripening and ensuring consistent yields in future growing seasons.

Another aim of canopy management is to ensure a consistent microclimate around the grapes, which promotes even ripening. Improving air circulation within the canopy is also essential, as it reduces the risk of disease by helping the vines dry more quickly after rain or dew. Finally, arranging the vine canopy to facilitate mechanization and manual labor is crucial for efficient vineyard management.

Grading Criteria

• Optimize sunlight exposure
  • For pointing out that two aims of canopy management are maximizing light interception and minimizing shading within the canopy, you get 1 point each, for a total of 2 points.
  • For explaining that sunlight exposure improves bud fruitfulness and enhances yields in the following season, you get 1 points.
  • For describing that sunlight boosts photosynthesis and enables the vine to ripen more fruit, you get 1 points.
  • For mentioning the good impact of sunlight on grape composition (higher sugar levels, increased tannins, and greater tannin polymerization), you get 1 points.
• Maintain a balance
  • For pointing out that one aim of canopy management is maintaining a balance between the vine’s vegetative growth and fruit production, you get 1 point.
  • For explaining that suitable balance helps the vine distribute its resources efficiently, you get 1 points.
  • For explaining that this supports optimal fruit ripening and ensures consistent yields in future growing seasons, you get 1 points.
• Creates microclimate
  • For pointing out that one aim of canopy management is creating microclimate, you get 1 point.
  • For stating that a consistent microclimate leads even ripening, you get 1 point.
• Air circulation
  • For pointing out that one aim of canopy management is improving air circulation, you get 1 point.
  • For explaining that air circulation reduces disease risk, you get 1 points.
• Management efficiency
  • For pointing out that one aim of canopy management is arranging the canopy to facilitate mechanization and manual labor, you get 1 point
  • For explaining that this arrangement makes vineyard management more effective, you get 1 point.

Answer

In balanced cycle, enough fruitset are presence and therefore shoot growth is well reduced after veraison. The canopy is less likely to become dense and shady, and light exposure in the canopy is improved, leading to high quality fruit. It also results in enhanced bud fruitfulness the next year, and the balanced cycle continues.

Grading Criteria

• For explaining that in a balanced cycle, sufficient fruit set after veraison suppresses shoot growth, you get 1 point.
• For explaining that reduced shoot growth prevents the canopy from becoming too dense and shady, you get 1 point.
• For explaining that a less dense and shady canopy improves light exposure, you get 1 point.
• For explaining that better light exposure contributes to higher-quality fruit, you get 1 point.
• For explaining that increased light exposure enhances bud fruitfulness for the following year, you get 1 point.

Answer

One of the advantages of bush vines is that their shoots naturally droop down, creating shade for the grapes and helping to prevent sunburn. Additionally, this system is easy and inexpensive to establish, making it a cost-effective option for vineyard development.

However, a major disadvantage of bush vines is that they are not suitable for mechanized harvesting, which leads to higher labor costs.

The advantages of a trellised vineyard include maximizing sunlight exposure, which enhances photosynthesis and promotes even grape ripening. Trellising also increases air flow through the canopy, reducing the risk of fungal diseases. Additionally, a well-designed trellis system enables mechanized harvesting, making vineyard operations more efficient.

However, trellis systems can be complex, requiring significant labor and expenses for both initial setup and ongoing vineyard management.

Grading Criteria

• Advantages of bush vine
  • For explaining that their shoots naturally droop, providing shade for the grapes, you get 1 point.
  • For explaining that this characteristic helps prevent sunburn, you get 1 point.
  • For explaining that bush vines are easy to establish, you get 1 point.
  • For explaining that this makes it a cost-effective option for vineyard development, you get 1 point.
• Disadvantages of bush vine
  • For explaining that bush vines are not suitable for mechanized harvesting, you get 1 point.
• Advantages of trellised vineyards
  • For explaining that a trellised vineyard maximizes sunlight exposure, you get 1 point.
  • For explaining that this enhances photosynthesis and promotes even grape ripening, you get 1 point.
  • For explaining that trellising increases air circulation through the canopy, you get 1 point.
  • For explaining that this reduces the risk of fungal diseases, you get 1 point.
  • For explaining that a well-designed trellis system enables mechanized harvesting, you get 1 point.
  • For explaining that this improves vineyard efficiency, you get 1 point.
• Disadvantages of trellised vineyards
  • For explaining that trellis systems require significant labor and expenses for both initial setup and ongoing vineyard management, you get 1 point.

Answer

One key technique is disbudding, which removes buds in undesirable positions. This helps balance yield and prevents excessive competition for carbohydrates between the shoot tips and developing fruit.

Another important aspect of summer pruning is shoot positioning, where shoots are tucked into trellis wires to maintain an organized canopy and facilitate mechanized vineyard operations. Additionally, shoot and leaf removal, including shoot trimming, helps improve air circulation, reducing the risk of fungal diseases. Trimming shoots also limits vegetative growth, ensuring that more carbohydrates are allocated to the ripening grapes rather than unnecessary foliage.

Pinching, or removing the shoot tips during flowering, is another useful technique that promotes better fruit set. Meanwhile, green harvesting, or crop thinning, involves selectively removing unripe grape clusters so that the vine can concentrate its resources on the remaining fruit, leading to better ripening. This is particularly beneficial if ripening is uneven due to factors such as irregular budburst, frost damage, or the presence of fruit on lateral shoots.

Grading Criteria

• Disbudding
  • For pointing out that vines are disbudded during summer pruning, you get 1 point.
  • For explaining that disbudding helps balance yield and prevents excessive competition for carbohydrates between shoot tips and developing fruit, you get 1 point.
• Shoot positioning
  • For pointing out that shoots are tucked into trellis wires during summer pruning, you get 1 point.
  • For explaning that this maintain an organized canopy and facilitate mechanized vineyard operations, you get 1 point.
• Shoot and leaf removal, triming
  • For pointing out that shoot and leaf are removed and shoots are trimed during summer pruning, you get 1 point.
  • For explaning that this helps improve air circulation, reducing the risk of fungal diseases, you get 1 point.
  • For explaning that trimming shoots limits vegetative growth, you get 1 points.
  • For pointing out that this allocate more carbohydrates to the ripening grapes, you get 1 point.
• Pinching
  • For pointing out that shoot tips are pinched or removed during summer pruning, you get 1 point.
  • For explaning that this promotes better fruit set, you get 1 point.
• Green harvesting
  • For pointing out that unripe grape clusters are removed selectively (green harvest) during summer pruning, you get 1 point.
  • For explaining that green harvesting allows the vine to focus its resources on the remaining fruit, resulting in better ripening, you get 1 point.
  • For explaning that green harvesting is benefical if ripening is uneven, you get 1 point.