Vineyards in Theni turn to ‘rain net’ to increase yield

Mentioning how moisture could cause fungal attack in grapes during its growth and thereby reduce its yield, S. Kalanithi, president of Hitech Grape Growers Association in Theni, said that about 80 percent of the attack on grape vines could be prevented with the aid of the ‘rain net’.

Although the ‘rain net’ was a costly affair, incurring a cost of around Rs. 6 lakh per acre for the owner to implement it, with a 50 percent subsidy from the government, seven acres of vineyards had been covered under the technology so far, Kalanithi said. Many owners have now come forward to adopt this technology with the subsidy scheme. This change would certainly encourage grape growers to be certified selling organic content as well, he told DT Next on Sunday.

Many have come up with seedless green grape varieties such as ‘Manikchand’, ‘Krishna Sharad’ ‘Thompson’ and ‘Supersona’, hoping for a considerable yield on red soil. To withstand extreme weather, especially humidity, ‘Dogridge’ rootstocks, which were grafted into vines, were procured from Maharashtra after being approved by a Grape Research centre in Nashik. The growers expect its yield in another one-and-a-half months and growers can stand on their own by avoiding middlemen and command a good price.

Last year, copious flow of rains dashed the hopes of growers as the grape yield was affected during harvest season. Owing to this, its cultivation had shrunk, making the procurement price rise at Rs.100 a kilo. However, the region this year has not experienced that much rainfall.

While seventy percent of growers preferred the black grape variety ‘panneer’ in the Cumbum Valley since the maintenance and labour costs were lesser than that of cultivating the green variety, the rest of the vineyard owners from Odaipatti and Thenpalani and its surroundings had opted for green grape variety with the ‘Dogridge’ rootstock. Unlike black grape variety, whose yield is lesser than the green grape variety, the latter variety results in high yield of about 15 to 20 tonnes an acre, which also incurs an expenditure of about three lakh rupees a year, Kalanithi said. Relying on his ten-acre grape vine, Kanagaraj from Odaipatti, said grape harvest is expected to be around seven to ten tonnes in an acre.

According to Theni Assistant Director of Horticulture G. Seethalakshmi, average grape cultivation area in the Cumbum Valley covers around 1,600 hectares. Subsidy proposals for the ‘rain net’ were forwarded to the Director of Horticulture and Plantation Crops last year from the district and beneficiaries had been availing it in a phased manner. The ‘Dogridge’ rootstock is available in Grapes Research Station at Anaimalayanpatty in Uthamapalayam block,she said.