Due to its adaptability, Chardonnay vines can grow in different climates and geographical conditions. But even those "tough" vines need their grower to "listen" to them, to produce high-quality grapes.
Maximizing growth, saving water
In Renmark, South Australia, the season has started (as beautifully captured by team member Luke Doecke), and it's a critical time when growers (and vines) need to keep a positive growth to maximize yields' potential.
High-quality harvest is related to sugar level and concentration percentage in the grapes (among other variables), which in turn depends on the vines' sugar production capabilities. That is exactly why a strong growth at the start of the season, when new branches and leaves develop along with the vines' ability to carry the fruit load, set the stage for optimized yields. More - and higher quality grapes - are strongly affected by the development and growth of the vines during spring.
But keeping those valves open is not a sustainable irrigation strategy, especially as water being a precious resource.
Visibility is key
That's where our plant status indicator and trees' growth rate graph come in handy. Growers get clear visibility of their trees' real-time water demand in each block and can respond with the exact amount of water needed.
Next, they're checking the growth graph to see the effect of their irrigation on the growth of the vines. By combining these two signals from the trees our growers in Renmark were surprised at how much water they have saved in the early part of the season, while maintaining positive strong growth.
Together with Phytech's planning and recommendation features, these tools are like a navigation system helping growers take the best route while steering the wheel with irrigation towards a successful season.