The Lincoln Canopy for Grapes

A system for growing grapes on a canopy 2.7 metres wide, 85 centimetres above the ground and in rows 4.8 metres apart is described. The Lincoln Canopy gave yields of Gewürztraminer three times those expected from cane-pruned vines on a single upright trellis, which is the most common New Zealand method. Grapes were successfully harvested by a machine originally designed for picking raspberries. The growing system is also readily pruned by mechanical means. Over three seasons lower sugar levels were recorded on the canopy than on the upright trellis.