This has been an unusual weather year for the Northeast, to say the least. Prior to Hurricane Sandy and the Nor'easter there was a freeze event on the early morning of October 13th that caused damage to grape leaves that were still green and photosynthesizing and I wanted to know what effect if any, this loss of leaves would have on the grapevine entering into dormancy. I turned to this publication that explains the process of cold acclimation of a grapevine for some answers. Cold acclimation is the process of transition of the grapevine from a cold-tender to a cold hardy state.
The potential for a grapevine's cold hardiness is determined by:
- The environment
- Cultural practices
- Genetic makeup of the cultivar
As the temperature drops, the grapevines prepare for dormancy by:
- Formation of the periderm
- Mobilizing carbohydrate reserves to canes, trunks and roots
- Isolating dormant buds from the vascular tissues in canes and trunks
- Redistributing water in bud tissues leading to dessication
No comments:
Post a Comment