Grapevine nutrition: Research to Practice

The change from routine use of fertilisers to a more strategic or integrated approach to nutrition management in the vineyard impacts on the need to provide grower training and education to ensure ideas of best nutritional practice are adopted. Grapevine nutrition managers need a framework for developing an improved capacity for identifying and implementing strategic decisions. This includes not only the technological competence, but also developing a positive perspective with the confidence and commitment to implement the changes. Managers need a clear understanding of the options available and the dynamics of their agricultural system with upto-date information, user-friendly identification and diagnostic tools. Scientific research needs to be translated into information and methodology that works ‘on the ground’.

The aim of the current project is to develop and maintain a flexible model that brings these various aspects of Grapevine Nutrition together, while making them accessible to growers and resulting in effective incorporation of research results into nutritional management practices in Australia. The model has been tested over three seasons with more than 500 participants involving growers, vineyard managers, company grower liaison officers/technical officers, researchers, fertiliser company representatives, extension workers and educators. Evaluation of results to date suggest that there have been a number of direct benefits from this program, including important changes in monitoring and testing grapevine health, associated fertiliser practices and improved understanding of industry research priorities. A number of indirect benefits have also resulted from the information being passed on by company grower liaison officers / technical officers and educators to growers who haven’t personally attended a workshop.