What causes grape berry drop?
During the growth process, grapes always experience berry drop, a situation that has a relatively large impact on growers' economic returns. There are many causes of berry drop, and both the natural environment and insufficient nutrients can lead to this phenomenon. Here, the editor lists several causes for everyone.
1. Natural berry drop
The survival of the fittest in nature also applies to grapevines, so natural berry drop is a relatively common problem, and each time the amount of dropped berries is not large, so the economic impact is relatively small. The reason is that during the growth process of the fruit tree, the nutrients received by some grape berries are not enough to sustain their growth, and the nutrients are taken by the well-developed berries. As time goes on, these poorly developed berries will automatically fall off. To some extent, this also has certain benefits, as it allows the other grapes to obtain more nutrients. Selecting high-quality seedlings can alleviate this situation.
2. Insufficient nutrients
Grapevines generally bear a relatively large amount of fruit, and because of the planting area, growers cannot be meticulous down to every single mother plant, so berry drop caused by insufficient nutrients naturally occurs. At each stage of its growth process, the types of fertilizer required and the emphasis differ. If this situation occurs relatively frequently, then growers need to adjust their fertilizer types. Generally, berry drop is mostly related to nitrogen fertilizer, so everyone can pay attention to the use of nitrogen fertilizer. If a mother plant has multiple clusters with poorly developed berries on them, farmers should immediately make targeted changes to fertilization.
3. Pests and diseases
Berry drop caused by pests and diseases is a relatively serious type. Once the disease occurs, it basically affects fruit in large batches, so extra attention must be paid to this aspect. Canker, water berry disease, downy mildew, anthracnose, and so on are all diseases that relatively easily lead to berry drop, and growers must figure out the type of disease and treat the symptoms with the right remedy. Berry drop caused by diseases is relatively easy to identify; the surface of the fallen berries will be abnormal, such as rot, soft rot, and so on, which are basically disease-related berry drop. As for pests, attention should be paid to things like red spiders, which are relatively easy to find on grapevines. In addition to treating the symptoms with the right remedy, choosing varieties with good disease resistance is also a good preventive approach.
4. Excessive light intensity
Excessive light intensity is mostly caused by improper operation by growers during pruning, and it is generally not very serious. When grapevines grow, the branches and leaves are relatively dense. If they are not pruned, a large amount of nutrients cannot be supplied to the berries. It is recommended that growers control the pruning time after the berries have formed, so that targeted pruning is convenient and mistaken pruning is not likely to occur. Try not to prune the leaves on each fruit cluster; they can be slightly parted so that light can occasionally pass through. This can both effectively prevent high temperatures and meet the light needs of grapes.
Grape berry drop actually has some other causes as well. For example, a variety that does not match the growing environment will also show this situation. Everyone should try to choose varieties suitable for their own local area. When the yield is similar, focus on their own local actual conditions, such as cold resistance, heat resistance, disease resistance, and other varieties, according to their own needs.