How to produce export quality grapes?
Grape is one of the most loved fruits in the world. And some parts of India have a very suitable climate for good quality grape production, and hence India attracts grape demand from all over the world. The total area coverage for grape cultivation in India is 123 thousand hectares occupying 2.01 % of the total farming area.
The export of Indian grape to the world as seen in 2020–2021 was 2,46,107.38 MT, worth Rs.2,298.47 crores or 313.57 million USD. Major export destinations in 2020–21 were: Netherland, UK, Bangladesh Pr, Russia, U Arab EMTS (APEDA).
With such huge demands of Indian grapes in the international market, many Indian grape growers aspire to produce export quality grapes and become successful grape exporters. Export quality grapes here means the good quality grapes that pass the export standards and quality inspections.
Following is the guide to produce export quality grapes that will fulfill all the quality parameters.
Key points to ensure on respective cultivation stages:
Foundation pruning:
- The vines should be given a rest for about a month after harvest.
- Immediately after pruning, spray 1% Bordeaux mixture to avoid any infection to the cut branches.
- Apply Hydrogen cyanamide to the buds at the rate of 30 ml/L to ensure timely and uniform bud break.
Fruit pruning:
- Remove all the leaves 5 to 7 days before pruning and twist the canes to activate the dormant flowering (auxiliary) buds.
- After pruning, apply 1% Bordeaux mixture and Hydrogen cyanamide for infection prevention and uniform bud sprouting.
- Since loose bunching is encouraged for export grapes, go for rachis elongation and bunch thinning. For rachis elongation, apply Gibberellic acid (GA3) before bloom.
Water management:
The water requirement in grapes depends mainly on the crop’s growth stage. Below is the table specifying water requirement in Litre/Ha at every growth stage:
Fertilizer Requirement
- To obtain a fail-free harvest, providing accurate doses of fertilizers to the soil is very important.
- Yearly soil tests are recommended to predict the fertilizer requirements of the crop.
- For medium quality soil, a fertilizer dose of around 660 kg Nitrogen, 880 kg Phosphorus, and 660 kg Potassium is recommended every year per hectare of crop.
- Apart from these, grapes also require mild doses of Boron, Magnesium, Calcium, Iron, Zinc based on the soil test reports to avoid deficiency symptoms in the crop.
Disease and pest management:
To qualify for export, farmers must pass the pesticide screening during inspections and lab testing. Hence it is essential to be careful while using pesticides for disease and pest management.
- Use only those agrochemicals that are approved by the Central Insecticide Board and Registration Committee (CIB&RC), and strictly adhere to the recommended doses of pesticides.
- Make sure to keep pesticide residue in your crop under the monitored amount.
- Pesticide spray should be according to schedules, prevailing weather conditions, and the growth stage of vines.
- Avoid using any pesticide 30 days before harvest.
Quality control:
To fetch higher prices in the international markets, growers and exporters should ensure the quality of the produce. The grapes should look fresh and tempting, and therefore the bunch should consist of berries with uniform color and size.
Here is a list of checkpoints to be ticked when preparing grapes for export:
- Fresh and green stalk.
- No signs of disease and pest.
- Loose bunch weighing between 400 to 600 grams.
- Berries free of scars and damages.
- Uniform color, shape, and size of berries.
- Total soluble solids of 17–18°Brix.
- The sugar (Brix) acid ratio should be between 25–30.
How the Fasal system is helping growers produce export quality grapes?
A significant percentage of our current grape farmers are successful exporters. One of the biggest problems farmers face is minimizing pesticide application to qualify for the residue test. But when farmers can control the diseases and pests at a very early stage of attack the use of pesticides decreases significantly. Fasal is helping farmers achieve just that.
Fasal system, with the help of sensors, keeps a check on the farm conditions like weather, microclimate, soil conditions and predicts the attack of the pest or diseases much in advance, and prescribes the suitable dose of recommended pesticides approved by CIB&RC.
Not only does it help combat the problem of pesticide residue in your crop Fasal system also takes care of the water requirement of your crop at every stage, so your crop gets optimum water and yields a bountiful harvest.
