In a vineyard, the choice of the system of husbandry is influenced by many factors, such as the climatic conditions of the area, the characteristics of the type of screw planting, and the ability to mechanize the operations of pruning vines.

The cordon is a farming system suitable for vineyards located in the hilly areas with soils on average drought. This type of farming is easily identifiable by the appearance: a cord horizontal place to 90-100 cm from the ground on which they are left spurs short, 2/3 gems.

In this article we will discuss how to breed the best of the screw with the cordon and the various stages of breeding.

How to raise the screw with the cordon

In the cordon, both the function and vegetative both production are assigned to the branches shorten, a spur with a maximum of 3 gems. The cord then becomes the extension of the strain of the screw, which is positioned on the load-bearing yarn in a horizontal direction, on whose backs are placed spurs. Can be simple with a single cord, or bilateral, with the two cords as opposed to the sides.

In order to benefit from the full advantages of this system of breeding, it is good to adhere to certain distances and parameters:

• it is advisable to opt for distances between 0.70 and 1 m between a plant and the other, while the distance between rows is recommended to stay within the 2 m in order not to compromise the quality of production,
• the plant should be designed to avoid shadows and to trap as much light as possible.

The phases of farming with the cordon

Compared to other forms of rearing, the cordon requires more commitment in the early stages of life the vineyard as it is necessary to encourage the development of a permanent structure. Let’s see in detail how to do it better.

• The first of the plant: the roots should be cut 1-2 cm of length.
• First year: after the planting the rooted cutting, is done with the green pruning , leaving the two shoots better placed and eliminating all the others; in the first pruning, instead, the sprouts will become branches: the best, with 1 or 2 gems, is chosen to start to get the log while the other is deleted.
• Second year: during the season you let to develop the strain; with the green pruning to eliminate the sprouts in the system and proceed to lay out the wire carrier of about 70-100 cm from the floor; in pruning the bud, the better developed is cut just under the wire carrier.
• Third year: we are witnessing the formation of the cordon; in the phase of budding, leave about 4 buds on the horizontal line going to delete the ones on the stem; in the winter pruning (unlike the summer pruning) the branch best positioned becomes the head of the fruit and then the bead is permanent. This branch must have a length that is able to cover the distance between the plant and the next, he lies in the horizontal and the league on the wire 3/4 points using of the plastic material in such a way as to support the growth of the bead. For the cordon bilateral are left with two branches, and, during the bending operations, the gem will be left at the beginning of the cord to start the first point of the vegetative close enough to the strain.
• Fourth year: the cordon is tied to the wire and arrives at its final form; in the green pruning you select the shoots pointing upwards, one every 15 to 20 cm, and that will become the points of seasons of the bead.
• After the fourth year is done only with the pruning of the production, during which the branch is best positioned of each point on the vegetative (the lowest) is sperona, others are eliminated. By this stage, the operations can be mechanized.

Conclusions

The choice of farming system depends to a minimum, by the personal tastes of wine-grower in large part by the environmental conditions, geographical and vegetal. The cordon is a system of breeding in the early years, it requires commitment and precise machining; from the fourth year, however, allows you to benefit from a relative peace thanks to the possibility of mechanizing the operations of annual pruning.

BFM can help you to mechanise these operations, thanks to a wide range of shearing machines and potatrici able to meet the needs of every type of terrain and the plantation. Contact us for a consultation at no obligation.