Quote:. . . at the end of the 1960s, high density plantings with the slender spindle on the
dwarfing rootstock M.9 were introduced from Holland.

Trends in Apple OrchardManagementPractices
in South Tyrol, Italy

Wolfgang Drahorad
South Tyrolean Advisory Service for Fruit- and Wine-growing
Terlan, Italy

Presented at the 42ndAnnual IDFTA Conference, Feb. 20-24, 1999, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

South Tyrol is situated at 46º north latitude and at 11º longitude in the center of Europe on the
south side of the Alps. As it is protected from the north, it has a Mediterranean climate. Fruit
growing is principally focused on apples and pears. The main fruit growing areas are in the
Vinschgau Valley, the Etsch Valley and, to a smaller extent, in the Eisack Valley, with a total
acreage of 18,000 ha (44,500 acres) in 1998 (Figure 1; also see cover photos,Compact Fruit Tree
31(4), October 1998).

South Tyrol produces approximately 800,000 metric tons of apples and 38,000 metric tons of
pears. In 1997 a record yield of 910,000 metric tons was achieved. This accounts for more than a
third of the Italian and over 10% of the European Community (EC) yield.

The main growing area stretches north from Salurn, the provincial border, which lies at
200 meters (650 ft) above sea-level, as far as Kortsch-Laas in the Vinschgau Valley, which is at
an elevation of 1,000 meters (3,200 ft). The whole valley, which is 100 km (60 miles) long and
3-5 km (2-3 miles) wide, and also the adjoining slopes up to an elevation of 1,000 m (3,200 ft)
are densely planted.

METEOROLOGICAL DATA
Annual temperatures reach 11.5ºC (52.7ºF) on an average on the valley floor and at an elevation
of 800 m (2,600 ft) in the Vinschgau Valley only 9ºC (48ºF). The annual precipitation is only
450 mm (18 inches) in the more arid Vinschgau Valley and approximately 800 mm (31 inches) in
the Etsch Valley. On the whole, the rainfall is evenly distributed. As spring frosts are common at
the bottom of the valley, all orchards are equipped with overhead irrigation for frost control. The
Advisory Service has set up a network of electronic weather stations (120), which transmit the
most important meteorological data to computerized centers. Around the clock, orchardists have
access to the latest weather data via telephone or computer.

These data are also used for the scab warning system. The occurrence of frosts varies
considerably from year to year. Very severe frosts occurred in 1997 and the orchardists had to
switch on frost irrigation 15-25 times. In 1998, on the other hand, there were only 2-4 frost
nights on an average. In autumn, morning frosts are very rare, but on the 27t h/28t hOctober 1997
the temperature dropped to -10ºC (14ºF) and below. Fortunately the harvest, with the exception
of Pink Lady, was already over. In South Tyrol the summers are very warm with an average of 97
summer days with temperatures above 25ºC (77ºF). There are also days with more than 33ºC
(91.4ºF), which may lead to fruit sunburn. The large number of sunshine hours, 1,800-2,000 a

year, as well as the low temperatures during the night in autumn are conducive to good fruit
quality, especially coloring.

One of the drawbacks to fruitgrowing in a mountainous region is the frequent recurrence of
hailstorms. Every year 10-20% of the total orchard acreage is damaged by hail. In 1998 the
damage was particularly severe with 27%.

SOILS
The soils are young, sandy-loamy alluvial soils on the valley floors and brown earth on the
hillsides. They are mostly well drained and the average water table is lower than 1 m below the
surface. The pH-value varies from 6.5-7, the humus content from 3-5%. Only a small part of the
orchards between Nals and Salurn is situated on the typical dolomite sediments which contain
magnesium and lime.

OPERATIONS
Small family-owned operations with an average size of 3-4 ha (7.5-10 acres) are typical. As such
small economic units often do not provide an adequate family income, secondary occupations are
frequent.Of the 8,000 orchardists 39% work full-time on the orchard and 61% part-time. They
usually increase their income in the tourist and catering industry (holiday on a farm, wine cellars
in farmhouses) and as craftsmen.

TRAINING
Many farmers are very young. Among the young farmers fruit growing is very popular. Why?
Fruit growing
•promises a good profit
•is highly mechanized
•leaves enough time for leisure activities
•confers a certain social standing

Great stress is placed on sound professional training. Approximately 70% of the orchardists have
special training in agriculture. The South Tyrolean Advisory Service with its more than 6,000
members provides information and the opportunity of further training. Each member has to pay
an annual fee.

Trials and experiments on problems related to fruit- and winegrowing are carried out by the
Experiment Station Laimburg.

MARKETING
Of the annual production 85% is marketed by 46 cooperatives. The remaining 15% of the crop is
delivered by the orchardists to 12 private traders, 3 of which sell their goods by auction
according to the Dutch model. Half the annual yield is exported to the various EC countries,
especially to Germany.

TYPE OF ORCHARD MANAGEMENT
In 1998 the South Tyrolean growers managed 81.9% of the total acreage according to Integrated
Production (IP) guidelines. They were developed and introduced by the Advisory Service about
10 years ago (1988) for the first time in Europe. The trend is increasing, especially since IP is
subsidized by the EU.In 1998 the share of apples from organic production amounted to 1.3% of

the total production. Here the trend is also increasing because of the high prices.The remaining
acreage, 16.8%, is still managed in the conventional way.The trend is decreasing.

ECONOMIC TRENDS
The orchard acreage has constantly increased in the last years by approximately 170 ha
(420 acres) a year. Apples have been planted in completely new areas which had previously been
dedicated to husbandry as, for example, the elevated sites along the Etsch Valley.

Especially on warm and sunny slopes fruitgrowing has advanced at the cost of winegrowing. A
further expansion is limited by the landscape, the climate and the availability of ground. In
proportion to the acreage (Figure 1) production has increased much more (Figure 2).

Contrary to expectations South Tyrol achieved in 1997 a production of 910,000 metric tons,
which corresponds to 50 metric tons/ha on average, new plantings included. This increase might
be due to several factors:
•higher tree densities (more trees per surface unit)
•smaller trees on M.9 with high initial yields
•varieties with a high and secure yield

In addition, several thinning, training and fertilizing measures aimed at promoting higher yields
were introduced. The succession of the various planting systems in the last decades has put its
stamp on the South Tyrolean landscape (Table 1).

Up to 1960 tall trees with large canopies (100-200 trees/ha) (40-80 trees/acre) on seedling
rootstock were typical. From 1960 onward growers became interested in the hedgerow (Italian
palmette), on the semi-vigorous rootstocks M.7, M.4, M.2 and MM.106. They permitted a higher
mechanization of plant protection measures, thinning and pruning. Palmettes were not very
widely used in the South Tyrol because soon afterwards, at the end of the 1960s, high density
plantings with the slender spindle on the dwarfing rootstock M.9 were introduced from Holland.
For many orchardists, this was a revolution. It was necessary to convince the growers of the
advantages of early yields, better fruit quality, lower costs and easier access to the tree canopies
from the ground. From 1975 onward the ice was broken. The triumphal march of the Dutch high
density system began. Its basis was the single row on M.9, with a tree spacing of 3.5-4 m x 1-
1.5 m (11.4-13 feet x 3.3-4.9 feet), which corresponds to 2,000-2,500 trees/ha (810-1,012 trees/
acres). The tree training aimed at producing well-branched trees 2.5 m (8.2 feet) tall in a
Christmas tree shape. It should be possible to perform all the important tree management
measures and the harvest from the ground.

In the 1980s, however, some deviations and higher density plantings than the single row system
developed:
•the North Holland three-row system with 3,000-5,000 trees/ha (1,215 –2,024 trees/acre)
•the V-System with spacing of 3.5 x 0.7-0.8 m (11.5 feet x 2.3-2.6 feet) and 3,500-4,000 trees/
ha (1,417-1,620 trees/acre)

Both planting systems were not satisfactory. The increased shading led to
•poorer fruit quality (especially coloring)
•considerably higher cost of establishing new plantings
•a greater expenditure of time on tree management and harvesting