dragon training

8/10/2019 Dragon Training

1/6

D r a g o n S y s te m o f T r a i n in g a n d P r u n i n g

in C h in a s V i t ic u l t u r e

G U O G U A N G L U O 1

The dragon t ra in ing system is one o f the two main systems for grow ing grapevines in China. The v ine is t ra ined

to s ing le or mul t ip le cordons branch ing just above the ground onto a s lop ing or hor izonta l arbor (w i th w i re net -

t ing) about 2 m in he ight . Tota l length o f the pe rman ent v ine s t ructure var ies averag ing f rom 4 to 10 m. Each cor-

don or dragon body bears conse cut ive spur pos i t ions or dragon c laws cons is t ing o f 1 to 3 bud spurs 10 to 30

cm apar t . The dragons l ie para l le l on the arbor approx im ate ly 50 cm apar t . The advantag es o f th is system are:

1) comp arat ive ly easy t ra in ing, prun ing, an d h igh pro duct iv i ty d ur ing ear ly years a f ter p lant ing (15- 30 t /ha y ie ld

can be ach ieved by the four th or f i f th year ) ; 2) good adaptab i l i t y to macroc l imat ic condi t ions in nor thern China,

where i t is usua l ly necessary to bury f ru i t ing wood to surv ive w in ters ; 3) extens ive coverage o f the ground sur -

face area w i th good exposure o f fo l iage to sun l ight ; and 4) e f f ic ient cont ro l o f v ine capaci ty by shoot removal ,

c luster th inn ing, and o ther cu l tura l pract ices. The procedures o f t ra in ing dragon- t ra ined v ines are descr ibed as

wel l as the d isadvantages and prob lems of th is system compared to o ther systems used in China.

V i t i s v i n i f e r a L. cultivated grapes were introduced

into China more than 2000 years ago and are now widely

grown. Wuhebai or Ak Kishmish (Thompson Seedless) in

northwest China is the leading variety for raisins, table

grapes, and winemaking. In other parts of China, grapes

for table use were dominant and now wine grape produc-

tion is increasing rapidly.

More and more land is being planted to grapes,

including cultivars of

V . v i n i f e r a V . l a b r u s c a V . a m u r e n -

s i s and their hybrids. The tot&l area currently pl anted to

grapes in China (not including Taiwan) is estimated at

58 000 hectares.

China's continental climate produces hot summers

and cold winters. The best and most widely planted

grapegrowing regions in China are located in the north,

where vinifera grapevines usually need to be buried in

winter. The training-pruning-trellis system must facili-

tate this practice.

China's long viticultural tradition has been augment-

ed by the scientific research which followed the founding

of the People's Republic of China. For more detailed

information of viticulture in China see Huibai Huang

(2,3).

Of the two main training systems widely employed in

China, fan training and dragon training (Fig. 1), the

/ - > _ _ A T

_ Z _ II i l l , , : = . ,

J B I y r I \ Y i

AZ A BZ B

Fig. 1. The main training systems used in China. A - dragon

training; A1 - single-dragon training, A2- two-dragon training. B -

Fan training; B1 - on arbor trel l is, B2 - on a four-wire vert ical t rel l is.

1Associate Professor , Depar tment of Hor t i cu l ture, Bei j i ng Agr icul tura l Univers i t y , Bei j i ng,

China.

Presented at the 36th Annual Meet ing of the Amer ican Society of Enology and Vi t i cu l ture,

Reno, Nevada June 1985) .

The author thanks Dr . W. M. Kl iewer for encouragement and suppor t in prepar ing th is

paper ; Dr . B. Swan ton for h is carefu l rev is ion of the man uscr ipt ; and Prof . Wan ghen g Fu, Deren

Xiu, Zan L0, Dahhua Yu, L ix i L iu, and Xuefeng Xu for supply ing some mater ia ls , photographs,

and com m en t s .

M anusc r i p t subm i t t ed f o r pub l i ca t ion 14 N ovem ber 1985 .

Copyr ight 1986 by the Amer ican Society for Enology and Vi t i cu l ture. A l l r ights reserved.

152

dragon system has proven to be one of the best training

systems for northern China (1,4,6,7,8).

This paper gives a brief review of traditional methods

and new developments in the dragon system of training

grapevines in China.

C h a r a c t e r i s t i c s o f t h e D r a g o n S y s t e m

Basic structures A typical dragon-trained vine

usually has one trunk and one cordon, or dragon body of

4 to 10 m, although the trunk may be divided just above

the ground, giving rise to several dragon bodies termed

two- , three- , or multi-dragon systems. The cordon

bears consecutive fruiting units ( dragon claws ) formed

10 to 30 cm apart, each unit consisting of one spur early

in training and several spurs in mature vines (Fig. 3). All

mature shoots are pruned to one- to two-bud spurs at the

time of winter pruning, except the apical cane which is

left long.

The traditional single-dragon system has long been

used in Zhangjiakou Prefecture in Hebei Province, where

the unilateral cordon is typically supported by an individ-

ual small pergola formed with wooden sticks (Fig. 2). In

non-irrigated areas, the vines have relatively small capac-

ity, and the dragon body is about 4 to 5 m long.

Grapevines in such areas are often scattered and give low

yield per unit area. In irrigated areas, vines are more

developed, and a dragon body may extend as long as 15 m.

In 1983, we investigated a one hundred-year-old dragon-

trained vine of cv. Niunai in Huailai County, Hebei

Province. The main body of the vine was 13.9 m in length

with 79 spur positions and had a branch-cordon ( daugh-

ter-dragon ) 6 m in length with 34 spur positions. There

were 112 clusters left on the vine for a potential 60 to 70

kg yield.

The two-dragon system of training is widely used in

Liaoning Province in northeast China. The vines have

two main cordons rising from one trunk near the ground

surface. In some vineyards, the three-dragon system is

practiced. With this system, a vine has three main

cordons branching from the same trunk. Each cordon

increases its diameter much more slowly than the single-

dragon cordon, which facilitates laying down the cordons

for winter burial; however, it is difficult to ma inta in equal

vigor in the three cordons due to their imbalanced growth

A m . J . E n o l . V i t ic . V o l . 3 7 N o . 2 1 9 8 6


2/6

D R A G O N T R A I N I N G S Y S T E M m 1 5 3

F ig . 2 . A s in g le -d ra g o n - t ra in e d v in e

o f t h e cv . 'L o n g ya n ' ( 'D ra g o n E ye s ' )

o n a in d iv id u a l p e rg o la a t t h e s ta g e o f

h a r v e s t m a t u r i t y .

F ig . 3 . A se c t io n o f t h e co rd o n

( D r a g o n b o d y ) , o n w h i c h m a n y f r u i t -

i n g u n i t s ( D ra g o n c la ws ) a re d is t r i b -

u ted .

and f ru i t ing .

I n v in e y a r d s w i th t h e d r a g o n sy s t e m o f t r a in in g ,

espec ia l ly in dense p lant ings , the cordons ex tend f rom

one row to ano the r , cover ing the space be tween rows wi th

a p p r o x im a te ly 5 0 c m b e tw e e n c o r d o n s .

D r a g o n t r a in in g sy s t e m s h a v e b e e n su c ce s sf u ll y u se d

w i th L o n g y a n ( D r a g o n E y e s ) , N iu n a i ( C o w s N ip p le s ) ,

Me ig u ix i a n g ( Mu sc a t H a m b u r g ) , K y o h o , B e i c h u n , a n d

othe r cu l t iva r s .

P r o d u c t i v i t y : D e p e n d i n g o n gr o w in g co n d i t io n s a n d

m a n a g e m e n t p r a c ti c e s , t h e r e i s g r e at v a r i a t i o n i n p r o d u c -

t iv i ty us ing the dragon sys tem. In dry , h i l ly a reas , non-

i r r iga ted v ineyards usua l ly produce 3 to 5 t /ha , in pa r t

due to the low plant ing de ns i ty (only 300 - 400 v ines /ha )

where v ines a re of ten in te rp lanted wi th annua l c rops .

However , the dragon sys tem can g ive fa i r ly h igh produc-

t ion an d good qua l i ty when fe r t i l iza t ion and i r r iga t ion a re

u se d . Ma n y v in e y a r d s i n H e b e i a n d L ia o n in g P r o v in c e s

y i e ld a b o u t 3 0 t / h a . I n Z h a n g j i a k o u P r e f e c tu r e t h o u sa n d s

of ac res of new vineyards have been p lanted us ing cut -

t i n g s . T h e v in e s e n t e r i n to p r o d u c t io n i n t h e t h i r d y e a r

a f te r p lan t ing , y ie ld ing f rom 3 to 7 .5 t /ha .

A m . J . E n o l . V i t i c . V o l . 3 7 N o . 2 1 9 8 6


3/6

1 5 4 m D R A G O N S Y S T E M T R A I N I N G

F ig . 4 . A young v ineyard w i th a l l

D r a g o n s c o r d o n s ) l y i n g o n a c o n t i n u -

ous a rbo r by cou r tesy o f X iu Deren) .

F ig . 5 . A heavy-y ie ld ing v ineyard

45 t /ha ) jus t be fo re ha rves t . A l l s in -

g l e - d r a g o n s a r e s u p p o r t e d b y a c o n -

t i n u o u s h o r i z o n t a l a r b o r , e x t e n s i v e l y

c o v e r i n g th e g r o u n d s u r f a c e a re a b y

c o u r t e s y o f Y u D a n h u a ) .

T h e g r e a t p o t e n t i a l p r o d u c t i v i t y o f t h e d r a g o n s y s t e m

h a s b e e n s h o w n r e c e n t l y b y D . X i u

e t a l

8) on a sma l l ex -

p e r i m e n t a l v i n e y a r d i n H u a i l a i C o u n t y , H e b e i P r o v i n c e .

G r a p e c u t t i n g s o f c v . L o n g y a n w e r e p l a n t e d i n 1 9 7 7 ,

p r o d u c i n g t h e f i r s t c r o p in 1 9 7 9 1 5 .7 t / h a ) w i t h s u b s e -

que n t y i e l d i ncreas es i n 1980 , 1981 , 1982 , an d 1983 35 .6 ,

45 .3 , 37 .3 , and 60 .4 t / ha , r espec t i ve l y ) . A r ecen t c rop i s

p i c t u r e d i n F i g u r e 5 .

F r u i t q u a l i t y : I t i s u s u a l l y d i f f i c u l t t o g e t h i g h

q u a l i t y g r a p e s f r o m v i n e y a r d s i n t h o s e r e g i o n s w i t h

f r e q u e n t a n d h e a v y s u m m e r r a i n s. B u t i n s e m i - a r i d a re a s

w i t h l e s s r a i n fa l l , fo r e x a m p l e t h e e a s t e r n p a r t o f Z h a n g -

j i a k o u P r e f e c t u r e , g r a p e s o f q u i te g o o d q u a l i t y h a v e b e e n

p r o d u c e d . T h e b e s t f r u i t q u a l i t y i s o b t a i n e d i n n o n -

i r r i g a t e d v i n e y a r d s i n h i l l y a r e a s w h e r e t h e s u g a r c o n t e n t

t y p i c a l l y r e a c h e s m o r e t h a n 2 0 B a l l i n g . T h e s i n g le -

d r a g o n s y s t e m w i t h s e p a r a t e p e r g o l a s o f t e n p r o d u c e s

g r a p e s o f h i g h e r q u a l i t y t h a n p e r g o l a s w i t h c o n t i n u o u s

f o l i a g e , w h i c h m a y r e s u l t f r o m i t s b e t t e r m i c r o c l i m a t i c

c o n d i t i o n s .

T h e h i g h c r o p l e v e l o f i r r i g a t e d v i n e y a r d s i s o f te n

a s s o c i a t e d w i t h r e d u c e d f r u i t q u a l i t y . T h e n e g a t i v e c o r r e -

l a t i on be t ween t o t a l so l ub l e so l i d s and y i e l d fo r cv .

L o n g y a n 9 ) i n d i c a te s t h a t u n d e r t h e c o n d i t i o n s o f H u a i -



4/6

DRAGON SYSTEM TRAINING 155

A B C

- - ~ . 4 6 M

.|

F I R S T Y E A R A F T E R P L A N T I N G :

A IN SPRING

B IN SUMMER

C F I R S T W I N T E R P R U N I N G

SECONDYEAR:

A LONGCANE IS LEFT

AFTER WINTER PRUNNG

TO FORMYOUNGDRAGON

BODY

THIRD YEAR:

THE YOUNGVINE ENTERSINTO

BEARING ALL MATURED

SHOOTSARE PRUNEDTO1-2

BUDSPURS EXCEPT APICAL

CANEIS LEFT LONG

F i g . 6 . F o r m i n g a d r a g o n - t r a i n e d v i n e .

l a i Coun ty , Hebei Prov ince , the y ie ld by the th i rd , fou r th ,

a n d f i f th y e a r a f t e r p l a n t i n g s h o u l d b e l i m i t e d to n o m o re

than 10 , 30 , and 40 to 45 t /ha , respec t ive ly .

A d a p t a b i l i t y to e n v i r o n m e n t a l c o n d it i on s :

T h e

d ra g o n s y s t e m i s a d a p t a b l e t o d i v e r s e e n v i ro n m e n t a l a n d

c u l t u r a l c o n d i t i o n s . I t c a n b e u s e d i n n o n - i r r i g a t e d d ry

a re a v i n e y a rd s w i t h r e l a t i v e ly l o w c a p a c i t y o r i n i r r i g a t e d

a re a s w i t h v i g o rou s g ro wt h a n d h i g h p ro d u c t i o n . I n e i t h e r

c a s e , t h e v i n e c a p a c i t y m a y b e e a s i l y m a i n t a i n e d b y

wi n t e r p ru n i n g , s h o o t r e m o v a l , c l u s t e r t h i n n i n g , a n d

o t h e r c u l t u r a l p r a c t i c e s w i t h t h e a d d i t i o n a l a d v a n t a g e o f

ease o f win ter bu r ia l . To fac i l i t a te bu r ia l , a g radual ly

r i s in g a n g le a t t h e b a s a l p a r t o f t h e t r u n k o r c o rd o n i s

needed (Fig. 6).

FOURTHYEAR:

YIELD INCREASES MARKEDLY

DRAGONBODY ORMAIN CORDON

HASBEEN FORMEDANDDRAGON

CLAWSORARMPOSITIONS

CONTNUETOBE DEVELOPED

P r o c e d u r e o f V i n e

T r a i n i n g a n d P r u n i n g

T h e o b j e c t i v e i n t r a i n i n g t o t h e d r a g o n s y s t e m i s t o

develop one , two , o r th ree main co rdons (d ragon bod ies )

a n d fo rm o n e a c h a s e t o f f ru i t i n g u n i t s o r a rm s (d ra g o n

claws) . The p rocedure fo r the s ing le-d ragon sys tem i s as

follows (Fig. 6).

F i r s t y e a r P l a n t i n g :

W e l l - m a t u r e d h a r d w o o d c u t-

t ings , u sua l ly wi th th ree buds , o r one-year-o ld roo t ings

are p lan ted in sp r ing . One wel l -developed shoo t i s l e f t on

e a c h v i n e a n d p i n c h e d t h r e e t o fo u r t i m e s d u r i n g t h e

g ro wi n g s e a s o n to s t r e n g t h e n t h e s h o o t. T h e s h o o t d i a m -

e ter shou ld be abou t 1 cm by fa l l . Al l shoo ts a re then

p ru n e d b a c k t o o n e t o t wo b u d s a t t h e e n d o f t h e g ro wi n g

s e a s o n b e fo re b e i n g c o v e re d w i t h e a r t h fo r o v e rwi n t e r in g .

S e c o n d y e a r D e v e l o p i n g t h e m a i n s te m :

On e

n o rm a l s h o o t i s s e l e c te d fo r o p t i m u m p o s i t i o n a n d t i e d u p

the s take to develop the co rdon . Al l o ther shoo ts a re

r e m o v e d . T h e l a t e r a l s h o o t s a r i s i n g f ro m t h e b o t t o m 3 0

c m o f th e m a i n s h o o t s h o u l d be b ro k e n o u t w h i le t h o s e

ar i s ing above 30 cm are l imi ted to four l eaves (nodes ) . Al l

seconda ry la te ra l shoo ts a re l imi ted to one to th re e leaves .

T h e m a i n s h o o t i s n o t t o p p e d u n t i l i t r e a c h e s a l e n g t h o f 2

to 2 .5 m. Al l p rac t ices a re des igned to ob ta in v igorous

g ro wt h a n d g o o d wo o d m a t u r i t y o f t h e m a i n s h o o t, wh i c h

is l e f t as a long cane a t win ter p run ing . Th is cane i s cu t

where i t s d iam eter i s ju s t l es s tha n 1 .2 cm and i s usua l ly

from 1.5 to 2 .5 m long.

T h i r d y e a r - B e g i n n i n g o f f r u i t p r o d u c t i o n : F a i r l y

g o o d p ro d u c t i o n c a n b e a c h i e v e d b y t h e t h i rd y e a r ,

p rov ide d there i s a su f f ic ien t num ber o f long canes l e f t in

t h e v i n e y a rd a f t e r w i n t e r p ru n i n g . V i n e s s h o u l d b e k e p t

v igorous , and overcropp ing shou ld be avo ided . At the end

o f t h e g ro wi n g s e a so n , a ll m a t u r e d s h o o t s a r e p ru n e d t o

one to two bud spurs , excep t the ap ica l cane , wh ich i s l e f t

long to con t inue develop ing the co rdon .

F o u r t h y e a r - E x t e n d i n g t h e c o rd o n : Yield is

g re a t ly i n c re a s e d o v e r t h e t h i rd y e a r s p ro d u c t i o n , d u e t o

t h e i n c re a s e d n u m b e r s o f s p u rs . A t w i n t e r p ru n i n g , a l l

m a t u re s h o o t s a r i s i n g f ro m s p u r s a r e a g a i n p ru n e d b a c k

t o o n e t o t wo b u d s p u r s t o s t a r t f o rm i n g a rm s ; t h e a p i c a l

cane is again left long.

In genera l , fou r to f ive years a re needed to comple te

t h e t r a i n i n g a n d g i v e fu l l p ro d u c t i o n u n d e r f a v o ra b l e

c o n d i t i o n s . De p e n d i n g o n n u t r i t i o n a l s t a t u s , t h e c ro p

l e v e l u n d e r t h e d r a g o n s y s t e m m a y b e a d j u s t e d a n n u a l l y

b y m o d i fy i n g t h e l e n g t h a n d n u m b e r o f s p u r s l e f t a t

w i n t e r p ru n i n g , b y s h o o t r e m o v a l , a n d c l u s t e r t h i n n i n g .

S e v e ra l t y p e s o f tr e l li s s y s t e m s c a n b e u s e d w i t h t h e

d ra g o n t r a i n i n g . T h e t r a d i t i o n a l s i n g l e -d ra g o n s y s t e m

h a s b e e n u s e d w i t h t h e s i n g l e -d ra g o n p e rg o l a c o n s i s t i n g

exclus ive ly o f wooden s t i cks (F ig. 2 ) . Th is i s inexpens ive ,

and separa te ly spaced pergo las g ive good l igh t exposure .

T h e t r e ll i s s h o ul d b e s e t u p i n t h e s p r i n g a n d t a k e n d o wn

annual ly fo r v ine bur ia l . I t s d i sadvan tages a re unecono-

mica l use o f l and and re la t ive ly low p roduct iv i ty . The

s ing le-d ragon pergo la t re l l i s may have i t s p lace in some

hi l ls ide v ineya rds .

T h e m o s t c o m m o n l y u s e d t y p e s o f t r e ll i s w i t h t h e

d ra g o n s y s t e m a re t h e c o n t i n u o u s s l o p i n g o r h o r i z o n t a l

a rb o r s, w h i c h u s e a c o n t i n u o u s ro o f o f w i r e n e t t i n g

s u p p o r t e d b y wo o d e n , s t o n e , c e m e n t - c o n c re t e , o r i r o n

poles (Fig. 4, 5).

P r o b l e m s a n d I m p r o v e m e n t s

Al t h o u g h t h e d r a g o n s y s t e m i s q u i t e p o p u l a r i n m a n y

g ra p e g ro wi n g r e g i o n s , f a n t r a i n i n g i s m o re p r e v a l e n t i n

m o s t v i n e y a rd s i n n o r t h e rn C h i n a . A c o m p a r i s o n b e -

t we e n t h e s e t wo m a i n s y s t e m s o f t r a i n i n g i s s h o wn i n

Table 1 .

T h e m a i n p ro b l e m s wi t h d r a g o n t r a i n i n g a n d t h e i r

po ten t ia l so lu t ions a re d i scussed be low.

I n c o n v e n i e n c e f o r w i n t e r b u r i a l a n d s p r i n g r e s -

t o r a t i o n : I t i s f r e q u e n t l y d i f f i c u l t t o r e m o v e t h e v i n e

from the pergo la fo r win ter bu r ia l o r res to re i t to i t s t re l l is

i n t h e s p r i n g . T h i s i s a s s o c i a t e d m a i n l y w i t h r a p i d

i n c re a s e in t h i c k n e s s o f t h e m a i n s t e m , w h i c h b e c o m e s



5/6

1 5 6 m D R A G O N S Y S T E M T R A I N I N G

T a b l e 1 . G e n e r a l c o m p a r i s o n b e t w e e n d r a g o n t r a i n i n g a n d f a n t ra i n i n g

Drago n t r a in ing Fan t r a in ing

1 . Prun ing metho d Re la t i ve ly easy , a l l shoo ts a re p runed to 1 -2

b u d s p u r s , e x c e p t a p i c a l e x t e n d i n g c a n e .

A r b o r s y s t e m p r e f e r e d .

. T re l l i s ing sys tem

3. Bud load

4 . B u d b r e a k

5 . F ru i t ing shoo ts

6. Fru i t Qu al i ty

7. Yie ld

8 . Win te r p ro tec t io n

R e n e w a l o f m a i n s t e m s

Re la t ive ly cons tan t .

H igher , may be uneven a long ve r y long

d r a g o n b o d i e s .

Usua l ly lower .

C l u s t e r s a r e m o r e u n i fo r m , c o m p a c t a n d

heavy .

M o r e r e g u l a r , v a r i a b l e w i t h v i n e y a r d s , m a y

be as h igh as 20 -30 t /ha .

Of ten d i f f i cu l t t o bu r y w i th ea r th due to

s t r o n g d r a g o n b o d i e s .

More d i f f i cu l t .

M o r e c o m p l e x , b e s t s h o o t s c a n b e l e f t a n d

pruned to 6 -15 buds .

G o o d f o r b o t h a r b o r s y s t e m a n d v e r t ic a l

t re l l is .

More f lex ib le in ad jus t ing bud numbers .

L o w e r .

H igher .

C l u s t e r s a r e o f te n l o o s e w i t h n o n - u n i f o r m

ber r ies .

E a s y t o o v e r c r o p , v a r i a b l e w i t h v i n e y a r d s ,

may be as h igh as 20 -40 t /ha .

Eas ie r to bu ry ow ing to th inner s tems.

Much eas ie r .

s t r o n g e r a n d h a r d e r w i t h a g e . I n v i e w o f t h i s , s o m e

g r o w e r s p r e f e r t h e t w o - d r a g o n s y s t e m b e c a u s e t h e t w o

c o r d o n b r a n c h e s t h i c k e n m u c h m o r e s l ow l y t h a n o n e . B u t

f o r m i n g a t w o - d r a g o n v i n e r e q u i r e s m o r e t i m e a n d i n t r o -

d u c e s t h e d i f f i c u lt y o f m a i n t a i n i n g e q u a l v i g o r b e t w e e n

t h e t w o m a i n b r a n c h e s . A l t e r n a t i v e l y , a n e w m e t h o d

a d o p t e d i n Z h a n g j i a k o u P r e f e c t u r e i n r e c e n t y e a r s i s t h e

p l a n t i n g o f s e v e r a l v i n e s a t e a c h p l a n t i n g s i t e a n d r e t a i n -

i n g o n l y o n e c o r d o n o n e a c h v i n e . T h e v i n e s p a c i n g i s 1 x

6 m , t w o v i n e s p l a n t e d 2 0 c m a p a r t a t e a c h s i t e . E a c h v i n e

i s t r a i n e d b y t h e s i n g l e - d r a g o n s y s t e m . T h e d i s t a n c e

b e t w e e n t w o c o r d o n s o n t h e a r b o r r e m a i n s a t 5 0 c m o r s o.

U n d e r t h e s e c o n d i t i o n s t h e v i n e s s h o u l d i n c r e a s e t h e i r

s t e m t h i c k n e s s m o r e s l o w l y w h i l e k e e p i n g t h e f a i r l y h i g h

p r o d u c t i v i t y o f t h e e a r l y y e a r s .

L o w f r u i t f u l n e s s o f b a s a l b u d s u n d e r s p u r p r u n -

ing : The basa l buds a re u sua l l y l ess f ru i t fu l fo r var i e t i es

o f t h e o r i e n t i a l g r o u p V . v i n i f e r a p r o l e s o r i e n t a l i s N e -

g r u l . ) s u c h a s L o n g y a n , W u h e b a i , N i u n a i , e tc . I n o r d e r t o

i n c r e a s e t h e f r u i t fu l n e s s o f t h e b a s a l b u d s , s h o o t s a r e t i e d

s u c h t h a t t h e s h o o t t i p s a r e b e l o w t h e p l a n e o f t h e p e r g o l a

( F ig . 6) . T h i s p r a c t i c e h a s i n c r e a s e d p e r c e n t a g e o f f r u i t-

i n g s h o o t s a r i s in g f r o m t h e b a s a l b u d s f r o m a b o u t 2 0 % t o

5 0 % o r m o r e f o r c v . L o n g y a n i n Z h a n g j i a k o u P r e f e c t u r e .

I t i s a l s o k n o w n t h a t w i t h s p u r p r u n i n g , t h e f r u i t i n g

s h o o t s a r i s i n g f r o m b a s a l b u d s b e a r f l o w e r c l u s t e r s m u c h

s m a l l e r t h a n t h o s e f r o m u p p e r b u d s i n c a n e p r u n i n g .

T a b l e 2 . C l u s t e r s iz e c o m p a r i s o n b e t w e e n c a n e - p r u n e d a n d

s p u r - p r u n e d v i n e s o f c v . M u s c a t H a m b u r g

(Adap ted f r om Wang , Fu tang , 1959) .

C a n e - p r u n e d v i n e s S p u r - p r u n e d v i n e s

No. o f c lus te r s

inves t iga ted 76 20

C lus te r s ize a t

b e g i n n i n g o f b l o o m

Leng th ( cm ) 8 .0 5 .5

Wid th ( cm ) 4.5 1.75

No. o f f lowe rs 665 .2 376 .8

C lus te r s ize a t

h a r v e s t t i m e

Leng th ( cm ) 12 .9 18 .7

Wid th ( cm ) 10 .9 15 .4

No . o f be r r ies 131 .2 172

Rate o f inc rease ( )

Leng th 61 240

Wid th 142 780

H o w e v e r , t h i s s h o u l d n o t b e a p r o b l e m b e c a u s e , a s W a n g

et al .

( 5) h a v e s h o w n , t h e s m a l l e r f lo w e r c l u s te r s w i t h s p u r

p r u n i n g r e s u l t e d i n l a r g e r a n d h e a v i e r f r u i t c l u s t e r s w i t h

m o r e u n i f o r m b e r r i e s i n c o m p a r i s o n w i t h c a n e p r u n i n g

(Tab l e 2 ) .

I n o r d e r t o g i v e f u l l p r o d u c t i o n w i t h d r a g o n t r a i n i n g

u n d e r f a v o r a b l e n u t r i t i o n a l c o n d i t i o n s , t h e b u d n u m b e r

s h o u l d be o p t i m i z e d . T h u s , a m o d i f i c a t i o n h a s b e e n m a d e

i n t r a d i t i o n a l s p u r p r u n i n g . S h o o t s a r e c u t b a c k t o tw o t o

t h r e e b u d s p u r s i n s t e a d o f o n e , a n d s p u r p r u n i n g i s

c o m b i n e d w i t h h a l f - l o n g c a n e p r u n i n g b y l e a v i n g s o m e

c a n e s w i t h f i v e t o e i g h t n o d e s e a c h a t s p e c i f i c i n t e r v a l s

a l o n g t h e c o r d o n . D . X i u et al . (8 ) deve l oped a new

m e t h o d o f p r u n i n g c o n s i s t i n g o f a 1 - m l e n g t h o f c o r d o n

w i t h o n e s h o r t c a n e ( 4 -7 n o d e s ) a n d t w o s p u r s o f o n e t o

t w o n o d e s . T h i s 1 - 1 -2 t y p e o f p r u n i n g h a s p r o v e n v e r y

e f fe c t iv e . W i t h t h i s m o d i f i e d p r u n i n g m e t h o d , t h e d i s -

t a n c e b e t w e e n d r a g o n b o d i e s o n t h e a r b o r m a y b e i n -

c r e a s e d f r o m 5 0 t o 6 0 o r 7 0 c m , a n d t h e s h o r t c a n e s a r e

c u t b a c k a f t e r f r u i t i n g a n d r e n e w e d a n n u a l l y .

N o n - u n i f o r m i t y i n d e v e l o p m e n t o f d r a g o n c la w s :

T h e s p u r s a l o n g t h e m a i n s t e m o f t e n v a r y i n v i g o r a n d

f r u i t f u l n e s s , e s p e c i a l l y w i t h l o n g c o r d o n s w h e r e s o m e

s p u r s o n t h e l o w e r p a r t o f t h e c o r d o n a r e w e a k .

D i f f ic u l t i e s i n m e c h a n i z a t i o n f o r v i n e y a r d m a n -

a g e m e n t : T h i s i s a m a j o r d is a d v a n t a g e f o r t h e s y s t e m .

T h e p e r g o l a m a k e s c u l t i v a t i o n , s p r a y i n g , a n d b u r y i n g

v i n e s m o r e d i f f i c u l t . T h u s , g r a p e g r o w e r s o f t e n p r e f e r t h e

ver t i ca l t r e l l i s wi th f an t r a i n ing , espec i a l l y on l eve l l and

a n d f o r r e l a t i v e l y l a r g e v i n e y a r d s . D r a g o n t r a i n i n g h a s

b e e n u s e d s u c c e s s f u l l y o n t h e v e r t i c a l t r e l l i s b y X i u a n d

c o - w o r k e r s a t th e R e s e a r c h I n s t i t u t e o f P o m o l o g y , C h i -

n e s e A c a d e m y o f A g r i c u l tu r a l S c i e n c e s , i n c o l l a b o r a t i o n

w i t h g r a p e g r o w e r s i n H e b e i a n d L i a o n i n g P r o v i n c e s .

T h e y a p p l i e d d r a g o n t r a i n i n g t o a v e r ti c a l t re l l is w i t h o n e

crossarm. Vines a re spaced 3 x 3 m (F ig . 7 ) o r 6 x 3 m.

O n e o r t w o c o r d o n s a r i s e f r o m o n e p l a n t i n g h o l e a n d

e x t e n d p a r a l l e l t o t h e r o w d i r e c t i o n , v e r y m u c h l i k e t h e

t y p i c a l u n i l a t e r a l c o r d o n m e t h o d . A 1 . 2 - m c r o s s a r m w i t h

f o u r w i r e s i s u s e d . C o r d o n s a r e a l t e r n a t e l y t i e d t o o n e o f

t h e c e n t e r t w o w i r e s. T h e o u t e r t w o w i r e s s e rv e a s f o li a g e

s u p p o r t . A d d i t io n a l v i n e s m a y b e p l a n t e d f o r t e m p o r a r y

u s e t o g e t h i g h e r p r o d u c t i o n i n e a r l y y e a r s . T h e f i r s t

r e s u l t s o f u s i n g d r a g o n t r a i n i n g w i t h t h e v e r t i c a l T - t r e ll i s



6/6

D R A G O N S Y S T E M T R A I N I N G - - 1 5 7

i I 0 8 1 0

i 1 , 8 - 2 . 2

_ _

F ig . 7 . S ing le -d ragon- t r a ined v i n e s o n a ver t i ca l T - t r e l l i s b y

cour tesy o f X iu Deren) .

i n d i c a t e t h a t t h i s n e w s y s t e m i s wo r t h y o f fu r t h e r i n v e s t i -

ga t ion .

o n c l u s i o n s

T h e d ra g o n t r a i n i n g s y s t e m i s o n e o f t h e m o s t

p o p u l a r s y s t e m s o f v i n e t r a i n i n g i n n o r t h e rn C h i n a . I t

m a y b e t h o u g h t o f a s a s p e c i a l t y p e o f c o rd o n t r a i n i n g

s y s t e m fo r a d a p t i n g g ra p e v i n e s t o r e g i o n s wh e re v i n e s

shou ld be bur ied fo r sa fe overwin ter ing .

T h e o r i g i n a l s i n g l e -d ra g o n - t r a i n e d v i n e s w i t h t h e i r

d ragon bod ies o f 4 to 10 m o r more in l eng th a re

s u p p o r t e d b y s e p a ra t e w i d e ly s p a c e d a rb o r s a n d h a v e t h e

adva n tage o f be ing su i tab le to h i l ly a reas , bu t the g rape

p ro d u c t i o n p e r u n i t a r e a i s r a t h e r l ow d u e t o l ow p l a n t i n g

dens i ty .

Un d e r i n t e n s i v e c u l t i v a t i o n , d r a g o n - t r a i n e d v i n e s a r e

d e n s e l y p l a n t e d a n d s u p p o r t e d b y c o n t i n u o u s s l o p i n g o r

h o r i z o n t a l a rb o r s . T h e r e c o m m e n d e d s p a c i n g s a r e 1 .0 t o

1 .5 5 to 7 m wi th 1 -2 more m ain s tem s per v ine) . To

ensure fu l l y ie lds , a l l d ragon co rdons shou ld be wel l -

d i s t r ibu ted , ex tend ing para l le l in one d i rec t ion and per-

pend icu lar to the row, fo rming so l id wide a rbors .

S p u r - p r u n e d o r s u p e r s p u r - p r u n e d d r a g o n - t r a i n e d

v ines have re la t ive ly cons tan t bud load and y ie ld . In

i r r iga ted a reas , the g rape y ie ld can be increased marked ly

b y m o d i fy i n g th e d e n s i t y a n d s p u r l e n g t h o f d ra g o n c l a ws

on the bas i s o f improved fe r t i l i zer and mois tu re supp ly . A

yield as high as 3 .5 to 7 .5 , 15 to 20, and 20 to 30 t /ha or

m o re c a n b e a c h i e v e d b y t h e t h i rd , f o u r t h , a n d f i f th y e a r

af te r p lan t ing cu t t ings , respec t ive ly .

W i t h t h e d r a g o n s y s t e m o f t r a i n i n g , s u m m e r p ru n i n g

i s i m p o r t a n t f o r m o re e f f i c i e n t u s e o f n u t r i e n t s a n d b e t t e r

exposure o f fo liage and c lus te rs to sun l igh t in o rder to

fo rm s t ro n g d ra g o n s a n d p ro m o t e f l o we r fo rm a t i o n a n d

s h o o t m a t u r i t y .

S o m e m o d i f i c a t i o n s m a y b e u s e d t o o v e rc o m e t h e

d isadvan tages o f d ragon t ra in ing . A ver t i ca l T - t re l l i s

s e e m s t o b e p ro m i s i n g fo r th i s s y s t e m o f t r a i n i n g .

L i t e r a t u r e i te d

1. Huang, H. , G. Luo, Y. Oi, L. L iu, and K. Wang. Vi t icu l ture

(Eng l . t r ans . , t i t le in Ch inese) . Be i j ing Agr icu l tu ra l Un ive rs i t y , Be i j -

ing (1961) .

2 . Huang , H . V i t i cu l tu re in Ch ina . Ho r tSc ience 15 :461-6 (1980).

3 . Huang , H . A p re l im inary eva lua t ion o f c l ima t ic r eg ions fo r

g rapes in no r th Ch ina . Proc . 3 rd In t . Symp. G rape Breed . pp 21-30

(1980) .

4 . Lu , Z . Exper ience in t r a in ing and p run ing g rape v ines in a r id

a reas (Eng l . t r ans . , t i tle in Ch inese) . Sc i . Techno l . , Z hang j iakou 2 :6 -

11 (1979).

5 . Wang, F . , and H . X ing . Ana lys is o f t r a in ing and p run ing

m e t h o d s o f g r a p e v i n e s i n F e n g h u a n g s h a n a r e a , C h a n g l i C o u n t y

(Engl. t rans. , t i t le in Chinese) . Hor t ic. Hebei 3:56-61 (1959) .

6 . Wang, F . H i l l s ide V i t i cu l tu re in Chang l i and Hua i la i (Eng l .

t r ans . , t i t le in Ch inese) . Agr icu l tu ra l Press , Be i j ing (1960) .

7 . Wu, J . G rapegrow ing (Eng l . t r ans . , t i t le in Ch inese) . L iaon-

ing Peop le s Press , She nyang (1982) .

8. Xiu, D. , D. Wu, G . Zhang , G. Xu, Z . LIJ, S. Wang, M. Lu, S.

Chao , and X . Wang. Exper ience in ge t t ing bumper harves t o f

Lon gya n g rapes in ea r ly years (Eng l . t r ans . , t i tle in Ch inese) .

Frui ts in China 1:9-13 (1984) .

9. Xiu, D. , D. Wu, G. Zhang, G. Xu, Z . LU, S. Wang, and M. Lu.

A s t u d y o n t h e c o r r e l a t io n s

b e t w e e n t h e

t o ta l so lub le so l ids , y ie ld ,

and f r u i t - sho o t r a t io o f the Lon gya n g rapes . Ac ta Hor t i c . , S in ica

12(4) :237-41 (1985) .

A m . J . E n o l . V i t i c . , V o l . 3 7 , N o . 2 , 1 9 8 6

dragon training

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