Making sense of vineyard variability

Abstract

This project sought to assess the utility of a whole of block experimental method as a means of assessing the variable response of viticultural production systems to management inputs.

Summary

The marked spatial variability that is known to exist in vineyards presents problems for people wishing to conduct viticultural experiments – whether these be researchers pursuing advances in viticultural science or growers wishing to evaluate new management strategies. Indeed, traditional plot or panel-based experimental designs are subject to the effects of short-range spatial variation and opportunities for meaningful extrapolation of results to other locations may be limited. A possible solution to these problems is to use a new approach to experimentation in which the whole block or management unit is used for the experiment, and in which the treatment effects are assessed using geostatistical methods.