Every December 31st, on New Year's Eve, tradition makes time stand still in thousands of homes, and with great anticipation, silence falls to listen to the metallic wailing of bells marking the dawn of a new year and a new life. The long-awaited moment has arrived, but before they can toast and embrace, they must eat twelve grapes with the sound of each bell to bring them 12 months of good luck and prosperity.

Have you ever wondered how those grapes are grown before they reach our table? Well, that's what we're going to try to explain in this Cultinews article.

The cultivation of table grapes in Spain It focuses mainly on the Levante, being the most producing provinces Alicante, Murcia y AlmeriaThe trend in recent years is that the demand for varieties seedless (seedless) is increasing compared to traditional varieties.

Like any other crop, table grapes require a series of techniques and nutritional requirements to produce a sufficient, high-quality harvest, although it is true that the cultivation techniques require a large number of daily wages due to the difficulty of mechanization.

One of the techniques par excellence to keep the grapes in the best possible conditions until the New Year's Eve festivities is, without a doubt, the bunch bagging. This makes the needs of application of phytosanitary products are scarce or non-existent upon meeting the protected cluster from unfavorable weather conditions as well as pests and diseases, so it is interesting to carry out this cultivation in a organic farming.

To grow table grapes organically, it is recommended:

  • Contribution of organic matter, which will eventually become highly stable humified material. The basis of organic farming is maintaining stable, living, and nutrient-rich soil.
  • If the decomposition of these materials is slow, it will be necessary to do use of organic amendments in the early stages of cultivation to provide the soil with the decomposed matter needed at that time.
  • Avoid turning over soil horizons, making fewer and shallower passes. Subsoiling may be a recommended option.
  • Improve soil quality with green manures and crop association.
  • With the quilting techniques or mulch we managed to maintain the porosity of the soil at its most superficial horizon.
  • Use hedges and windbreak vegetation on the boundaries of the plot to protect the crop.
  • If the soil is affected by pests and diseases, the solarization may be a method to consider.

La choice of variety and rootstock It determines the success or failure of grape cultivation, since once the vines are established, it cannot be corrected except by removing the existing ones and planting new vines. It is vital to make a good variety selection, choosing those most in demand on the market. However, there is a wide range of possibilities today. On the other hand, it is very important to know the agronomic characteristics and the potential of different varieties in terms of our choice, since not all of them are adapted to each growing area, taking into account that we will be influenced by the following variables: climate, altitude, orientation, production objectives and final recipients of the product, that is, what type of market and clients we are going to dedicate ourselves to. For the choice of rootstock or pattern, obviously the factor that will influence the most is the soil type. Keep in mind that the compatibility The relationship between variety and rootstock plays as much or more of a role than the qualities of each individual part. We may have the rootstock best suited to our soil and the variety we believe best for our purposes, but if the two aren't well-matched, we won't achieve the expected results.

El driving system In table grapes, it is also a determining factor in the type of grape and the quality that will be obtained throughout the life of the vineyard. There are several training systems that provide very good grape quality. The most widespread is the parral, although there are other possibilities such as high trellis training or “Y” training.

El parallel It consists of a horizontal wire mesh placed at a height of about 2 m and held by various posts (corner posts, uprights and uprights). The vine is trained to form a straight trunk with four arms The main vines that carry the vines bearing the bunches. The vine generally reaches full production in the fourth year after planting. The use of a mesh structure, placed over the trellis to form a canopy over each row of crops, is increasingly common. It can also be covered with a plastic sheet to speed up or delay harvesting.

La fruiting pruning It is a dry pruning, which is carried out in winter when the vine is dormant. Its main objective is to achieve a production in quantity and quality that remains constant over time. To achieve this, it is necessary to ensure a balance between vegetative growth (shoots and leaves) and the reproductive phase (harvest). In addition, pruning must maintain the size and shape of the vine obtained with the pruning of Development, depending on the planting frame assigned. After pruning, once the cold requirements have been met and with the arrival of milder temperatures, the budding and growth of shoots, leaves and bunchesAfter a certain time we will be able to check the actual sprouting percentage and the actual fertility of the current year and we will be able and should make the necessary adjustments to improve crop productivity and quality.

The tasks carried out after bud sprouting during vegetative growth are called green operations, whose objective is to maintain the balance between vegetative and reproductive growth of the plant after winter pruning and improve crop productivity and quality. Among the most important green operations are:

  • Detailed or unstuffyDeveloping shoots initially compete with each other for reserves. Early removal of those that will not be useful as producers or future loaders will improve the development of those that remain.
  • TiedWhen the connection between the base of the trunk and the shoot has hardened, the shoots are trained and distributed evenly over the trellis, tying them to the wire.
  • Hanging of bunchesAlong with the previous operation, the bunches (the trellis wire and tendrils) are untied and lowered to allow for proper growth and to facilitate subsequent operations.
  • Spike. It consists of removing the tips of growing shoots, including the apex and some still-growing leaves. This operation is recommended for very vigorous varieties with fruit set problems and varieties sensitive to running, or in cool, rainy springs, to improve fruit set and the appearance and size of the bunches.
  • Leafless. It involves removing some leaves from the bunch area to improve ventilation and prevent disease, as well as to increase the effectiveness of phytosanitary treatments.
  • De-nieced. Sometimes, along with leaf removal, the grandchildren are removed from the bunch area with the same objective: to improve ventilation and facilitate operations on the bunch.
  • Bunch thinning. This involves removing entire bunches with the aim of increasing fruit quality. Reducing the number of bunches increases the leaf-to-bunch ratio (number of leaves per bunch), so the bunches will receive more photoassimilates.

 

To achieve commercial quality in seedless varieties, with loose bunches, large and well-formed berries, specific cultivation techniques are required, such as the application of gibberellic acid, girdling and bunch pruning, which are not usually practiced in traditional seeded varieties.

In seedless varieties, gibberellin synthesis and sugar accumulation are lower. exogenous application of gibberellins (Gibberellic acid) promotes fruit drop and berry development (fewer fruits, larger berries). Not all varieties respond equally to treatment with gibberellins, and some do not even tolerate it. The effects depend on the timing of application and the doses given.

La annular incision or ringing It consists of the removal of a ring of bark and liberian vessels (phloem), with the aim of interrupting the flow of sap for a short period of time (no more than 20 days) and accumulating sugars in the parts of the plant located above the incision, mainly bunches, to promote their development.

La bunch pruning It consists of removing parts of the bunch with the aim of improving its appearance, shape, and conformation, reducing its compactness, and homogenizing the size and distribution of the berries. Bunch pruning normally consists of removing the lower third and removing or trimming the wings or shoulders, as well as some branches, until a well-formed bunch is left with the appropriate number of berries.

La maturation It can be defined as the set of changes in appearance and internal composition that occur in the bunches at the end of their growth and that cause the grapes to reach the texture, color, aroma and flavor characteristic of each variety, making them suitable for consumption.

Once we have reached this point, and here comes perhaps the most used technique to obtain a late, high-quality, sweet grapes with a uniform color, we will talk about the bagged, already mentioned at the beginning of this Cultinews. The technique literally consists of bagging and covering the growing bunch with saturated cellulose paper. The paper is tied to the stem of the bunch and left open at the bottom, leaving the bunch covered and protected from the shoulders to the apex. This bagging is left in place until harvest, providing numerous advantages:

  • We delay maturation. An important aspect if we want the grapes to arrive in the best condition for New Year's Eve.
  • We got a soft and uniform color.
  • We protect the bunch from insect and bird attacks, avoiding in turn, certain diseases.
  • We protect the bunch from the direct sunlight and adverse weather conditions until the time of harvest.
  • We also protect the bunch from the conditions in collection and transportation.

La table grape harvest It is carried out with scissors, cutting the bunches at the stem, making several passes since not all the bunches ripen at the same time, and placing them in trays or boxes. The bunches are then cleaned, removing any damaged or abnormal berries, and then packaged. Labor requirements are quite high because it is a very delicate fruit.

As for the nutritional needs, Cultivator We can offer different options to produce quality table grapes, with Complete and guaranteed richness formulations, zero waste and with alternatives for ecological production.

Finally, we wanted to count on Tobias Sang Younger, Head of Production of the Santa María Magdalena Cooperative Novelda (Alicante), whom we asked about the challenges facing the sectorHere is their response or opinion:

Table grapes, like the world economy, are experiencing turbulent times of adaptation and regenerationThe current situation requires table grape farms to invest in new types of driving structure and new varieties of production to offer products that demonstrate innovation and adaptability to consumer needs. Fresh products meet all these requirements because they are healthy, convenient, and high-quality.

The new types of structures go hand in hand with the new types of varieties or clones of table grapes, whose management or cultivation is carried out under certain conditions that are only provided by these new structures, where the reproductive organs from the vine are arranged in a distributed and uniform manner along the horizontal distribution space of the plant's leaf system, since the use of new cultivation techniques, such as fattening and color treatments, need a homogeneity in the distribution of foliar applications, for these to be effective or positive.

It is also true that this adaptation is the result of greater economic investment than is usually done in the sector to date, since the possibility of planting new varieties depends on the obtaining a license or planting right granted by the breeder of that variety, which requires the payment of a fee for surface area and for licensed plant material. In addition, the structures required for its cultivation involve a higher cost due to the elements used in its construction, which means that where wooden posts stuck in the ground are used, aluminum structures and anti-hail mesh cover, to ensure a quality and quantity harvest, since where the bagging technique is used, it must now be protected in other ways (anti-hail netting).

Another point to take into account in relation to the costs of this type of structures is the one concerning the agricultural insurance and which has helped farmers so much in the past. The increase in the cost of contracting, due to the percentage increase by ENESA and the withdrawal of regional subsidies, means that the funds used for contracting by farmers must be taken into account in the new structures that fulfill the purpose of agricultural insurance.

new varieties demandan new knowledge and evaluations to obtain the best from them, a process that must be developed and will take time. However, in the definitions of crop standards, color characteristics, acidity, crispness, among other aspects, these definitions do not necessarily have to be those used in traditional varieties, which are in clear decline.

I think it's the time to rethink everything known, so that this forced change generates all the benefits expected from it.

Now you know firsthand how the grapes you'll be eating on New Year's Eve are produced. From Cultifort, we wish you all the best. Happy holidays and a prosperous 2023.