Crop Load Study

We are currently participating in a state-wide crop load trial in collaboration with Patricia Skinkis at Oregon State University. It's a five year study that looks into the effects of yield, pruning weight and the Ravaz index on fruit quality (Pinot Noir). We are crop thinning to three different treatments:

1. Two clusters per shoot
2. One cluster per shoot
3. One cluster every other shoot

Crop thinning is performed 55 days post bloom.

At veraison, leaf blades are sampled to monitor plant nutrient status and to see if the crop load is affecting vine nutrient partitioning. The reference vines are all harvested at the same time, the fruit is weighed and the samples are collected for fruit analysis. Yields in each treatment vary from year to year and depend mostly on fruit set. We have found that there are some interesting correlations between yield and fruit chemistry, but we need another three years of results to draw strong conclusion.