Vine Lines:Plastic Rain Covers Can Affect Canopy Microclimate Fruit Quality

摘要

TIABLE GRAPES are a labor- and material-intensive crop with high annual operating expenses.Therefore, it is important for growers to minimize their risk of crop loss. Precipitation within six weeks of harvest can stimulate the development of rots and molds that may render grapes unmarketable, so many growers of late-season table grapes cover their vines with sheets of polyethylene film. The films, which are generally about millimeter thick and 100 inches wide, are typically deployed in late August or early September, and installed in such a way that they form an uninterrupted cover along theentire length of the row. At least two different colors of film — green and white — are available. The green film appears to be more transparent than the white film, but the quantity and quality of light transmitted by either film has not been reported.