Herbicide reduction strategies for wine grape production

The project “Herbicide reduction strategies for winegrape production” aimed to investigate the potential for physical and cultural weed management practices to reduce the requirement for herbicide applications in vineyards. It investigated the capacity for a range of cover crops to compete with weeds, and a variety of mulching materials to inhibit weed germination and growth in the undervine area. The impact of these practices on vine growth, yield and quality varied between the four trial locations, depending on soil type, irrigation and fertigation practices and cropping potential.

Associated work investigated the impact of different cover crop termination practices on summer weed growth, the development of a ribbed roller to lay down cover crops and a sponge wiper for control of weeds in the mid-row and the under-vine area and the water use and competitiveness with weeds of several native species.