Influence of Plastic Covering on the Microclimate in Vineyards in the São Francisco River Valley Region

Abstract

Data from field experiments conducted in table grape vineyards variety of Festival in Petrolina-PE in the period from September 19 to October 12, 2010 were used to evaluate the influence of plastic cover on microclimate conditions of vineyards in São Francisco River Valley region. Three treatments were studied: canopies without plastic cover (WC); with plastic cover positioned at 50 cm (PC50), and at 100 cm (PC100) above canopy. The results indicate that the plastic cover prevented the passage of about 40% of the global and net radiation, retained the relative humidity inside the canopy, generated an increase of air temperature and marked reduction in wind speed over the canopy of treatment PC50. However, treatment PC100 had a higher incidence of short wavelength and net radiation under canopy (on the berries) than WC and PC50 treatments, resulting in more favorable weather conditions, providing about 40% greater productivity in this treatment. Therefore, the vineyard with plastic cover placed at 100 cm above canopy represents a more suitable alternative to the climatic conditions of the region of the São Francisco River Valley.

Effect of the Plastic Cover on the Productivity and Profitability of Vineyard in the São Francisco River Valley, Brazil

“…The research was conducted in a vineyard of the table grape variety superior seedless, seedless Festival or simply Festival on the Águia do Vale Farm (9°6'14" S, 40°29'52" W; 360 m), located in the Irrigation Project "Maria Teresa", Petrolina City -Pernambuco State throughout the phenological phases of maturation and harvesting for the period from September 19 to October 12, 2010. The vineyards were conducted in the trellis system and planting on 0.5 m height ridges and planting spacing of 3.5 x 2.0 m, as described in Leitão et al (2017). It was used a plastic cover of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) film, 160 mm thick, transparent and 3 m wide.…”

“…The protected cultivation of the grape, like other crops, is used worldwide, mainly in European countries of the Mediterranean region (Rana et al, 2004;Leitão et al, 2017). In general, the plastic cover is used for improving the thermo-hygrometric conditions when the atmospheric conditions are unfavorable to the plant growth and development, mostly adverse weather parameters, such as radiation, temperature, wind, and precipitation (Olmstead et al, 2001;Silva et al, 2011b).…”

“…In Brazil, the plastic cover of vineyards was introduced to the State of Rio Grande do Sul, which has a cold climate with rainfall, strong winds, and hail at the time of grape maturation. These conditions can cause cracks and diseases (Santos et al, 2004;Chavarria et al, 2007Chavarria et al, , 2009Leitão et al, 2017). The plastic cover has also been employed in other States, such as the State of Paraná (Genta et al, 2010) and the State of São Paulo (Lulu et al, 2005;Pedro Jr. et al, 2007;Colombo et al, 2011).…”

“…However, the phenomenon of splitting of some varieties of grape berries before or during harvesting has occurred in specific locations, associated to the occurrence of intense rainfall, high temperatures and low incidence of solar radiation (Palma et al, 1999;Vieira et al, 2008). According to Silva et al (2011) and Leitão et al (2017), the plastic cover provides a significant increase in air temperature on the canopy and acts as a physical barrier to the air movement.…”

Yield and quality of primocane-fruiting raspberry grown under plastic cover in southern Brazil

“…Plastic cover reduced the incident radiation by 17 % (Figure 1). Leitão et al (2017) observed a reduction of 40 % in radiation incident on vineyards covered with transparent cover film of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) of 160 μm. For Cardoso et al (2008), the material used as cover is the main factor for radiation attenuation.…”