Temporal and spatial relationships of vine pruning mass in Concord grapes. (16th July 2013) - Taylor, J.A.
Abstract Background and Aims Studies on vine size variation have generally been limited to small plot studies, particularly for correlation with canopy imaging. Research and anecdotal reports indicate there is a temporal stability in the spatial patterns of imagery of the canopy. This study directly examines and quantifies the spatial and temporal variation in vine size, rather than a canopy sensor response, at a block (∼1 ha) level. Methods and Results The mass of pruned wood for each individual vine was measured for 3 consecutive years in a 0.93‐ha vineyard. The spatial and temporal variability in pruning mass was interrogated with geostatistics and map comparison methods. Potential management units were derived from these data and used to verify the temporal response in vine size. Conclusions The majority of variance in pruning mass occurred at a vine‐to‐vine scale; however, the autocorrelated variance exhibited a strong, stable spatial structure over 3 consecutive years. Map comparison methods were shown to be an alternate and visually demonstrable method of comparing spatio‐temporal patterns. Significance of the Study The temporal stability of spatial patterns in vine size would indicate that it is not necessary to measure vine size annually and that historical information can drive site‐ or zone‐specific management decisions. The large vine‐to‐vine variation indicates that high spatial resolution, vine‐specific sensing and decision support systems are needed if the objective is to manage as much of the variability in vine size as possible.