Page 41 - Grapevine May-June 2020

Around The Vineyard

taining an irrigation system can be seen when
one tracks water use over time. This is more than Trim-N-Prun’ BTS-104HD
simply recording runtimes or water meter read-
ings. These measurements need to be considered
in the context of previous measurements. This
allows a grower to see if they are using more water
over time indicating that the system uniformity
is declining, as more water is required to deliver
what is needed to the weak areas of the vineyard.
Obviously, every season is different in terms of
weather, but this can be accounted for when multi-
ple years are compared.
NEW Concept in
Scheduling of irrigation is the other component of
irrigation efficiency. In this study, we found some Vine Trimming & Pre-Pruning!
growers applied twice as much water during a • Universal Hydraulic Vine & Bush Trimming, Cutter Bars.
warm year than an “average” year. Other growers • Opens foliage for better dust and spray penetration.
also delivered more water during that warm sum- • Adapts to almost any trellising system or terrain.
mer, but nowhere near twice as much indicating • Reduce Pruning cost over one third.
• Cuts harvest labor by easier access to crop.
they were able to supply what the plants needed in For More Information Contact...
an efficient manner. It may be the case that these Bechthold Tractor Service
growers were able to irrigate more efficiently by 10755 E. Hwy. 12 • Lodi, CA 95240
scheduling irrigations more accurately to the needs Phone: 209-368-2031
of the plants using plant-base, soil-based, or weath- Website: www.bechtholdtractor.com
er-based technologies to estimate vine water use
rather than relying on visual assessment or other
less grounded methods. In a few cases, water use
went down as a result of system improvements
from the previous year demonstrating how import-
ant implementing best practices like replacing
plugged emitters and addressing pressure issues
were to efficient system performance.

A Success Story

Project staff evaluated two blocks at Zabala
Vineyards, in Greenfield, California. The initial DU
score in the spring of 2018 for the 20-year old vine-
yard was 0.88. Significant pressure variation was
observed during the evaluation due to dirty and
plugged hose screen washers installed in riser tees.
Plugging accounted for about one-half of the prob-
lems with DU, and chemical remediation was rec-
ommended. After the initial evaluation, the grower
improved his maintenance program by implement-
ing a more rigorous flushing routine, removing or
replacing dirty screen washers, and remediating
drip hoses and emitters with a strong acid treat-
ment and flush.

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