Factors that influence Bud Fertility of grapes
What is bud fertility? Bud fertility, is the ability of a bud on a plant to produce new shoots in the growing season that will bear clusters of grapes.Bud fertility of grapes differs from cultivar to cultivar, from year to year and even from vine to vine. Numerous outside factors, influence bud fertility of grapes. We measure bud fertility in percentages; 30 bud fertility means that 30 out of a 100 buds on the bearers will shoot. Normally you would want a percentage of 50 and higher to get a reasonable crop size.If you look at Sultana grape vine, a white (yellow), mid-season, seedless grape, you will notice that it is not very fertile, because it bears its fruit far beyond the 6th bud, counting from the base of the bearer, so you will have to prune according to the fertility of your cultivar – you must remember this. If you prune a Sultana to have only 4 to 6 bud bearers, you not have a decent crop, because it is a less fertile cultivar.Which factors influence bud fertility?1.Pruning SystemsThere are so many pruning systems known out there, that it is impossible to mention them all in this article, but you need to remember that the correct pruning system for the correct cultivar is imperative!For the more fertile cultivars, I recommend a split cordon system, where you can prune the vine with lots of short bearers (2 to 3 buds). It is unnecessary to prune a very fertile cultivar with long bearers. Pruning with short bearers will ensure an even distribution of grapes over the whole trellis. There will be no overlapping of adjacent vines that can cause compaction of the vines, which will cause some serious trouble in the future. If you are planning to ad a grape vine to your garden, I recommend you find out how fertile the cultivar you are going to plant is.For more information on pruning systems, I recommend visiting www.my-grape-vine.com.2.Time of pruningThe time of final pruning of table grapes has an effect on the time and nature of the budding of the shoots, the number of shoots and bunches (clusters) of grapes produced. The time of pruning will influence the timing and quality of the crop as well. Most of the time, pruning your vine at a late stage, just before shooting, will result in a more even shooting of the buds. Do not prune too late, after shoots are more than 1 inch in length, because you will harm the small shoots if you remove the pruned canes from the vine, and this will have a huge influence on the crop size of this year!3.The number of buds per vineThis factor goes hand in hand with No1 above, but I need to bring this under you attention. Too many people make this mistake when choosing a pruning system of training system. There has to be a balance between the amount of growth and the number of buds on the vine. Leaving to many buds, to have a larger crop, will have a negative influence on the fertility of next year’s bearers! Do not be greedy, the result will be exactly the opposite as expected!4.ClimateCold winters and a fair spring will improve fertility of the grape vine. A rule of thumb is that winters need to be, on average per week, below 15
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