Double-Pruning: preventive technique against spring frost damage

The double pruning technique on Sangiovesevines,based on pre-pruningin Februaryand finishing in April, induced a delayofbudbreak, whichis an approach to avoid spring frost damage. The field experiment wasconductedon Sangiovese vines mechanically spur-pruned during dormancy in Februaryandmanually finished post budburst to test the potential of ‘double-pruning’ approach to prevent the spring frost damage. This technique,associatedwith the finishing performed when the apical shoots on the mechanically-shortened canes were about 10cm long,allowed to keep the basal buds in a dormantphasefor almost 15 days, extending the resistance period against the spring frosts, particularly important for the cultivars characterized by early bud-break.Yieldreduction per vine was -22% due only to the incidence of unsprouted buds, while the grape ripening profile was delayed with an increase of acidity and phenols and a decrease of pH and soluble solids