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Qualification - Certificate In Horticulture (Viticulture)

Course CodeVHT002
Fee CodeCT
Duration (approx)700 hours
QualificationCertificate

Work in Viticulture

This is a course for
  • Vineyard operator, manager or worker
  • Horticulturist
  • Agriculturist
  • Grower liaison officer
  • Viticulture Officer
  • Researcher

There are two parts to this course:

The Core units (15 lessons) provide a broad based foundation in general horticulture. Above all though, this foundation provides a basis for learning horticultural practices specific to grapes (e.g. you need to understand about soils in a broad sense before you can start to understand how to manage soils for a particular crop such as grapes).

Stream Units making up the second part of the course are totally focused on grape production, management and marketing.

Accredited through the International Accreditation & Recognition Council

Lesson Structure

There are 30 lessons in this course:

  1. Plant Identification
    • Introduction
    • Botanical/Horticultural Nomenclature
    • The Binomial (Taxonomic) System
    • Botanical Classification
    • Plant Families and Species
    • Hybrids, Varieties, Cultivars
    • Plant Family Names
    • Pronunciation of Plant Names
    • Significant Genera and Families they belong to
    • Meanings and origins of Plant Names
    • Pressing Plants (to create a herbaria collection for reference)
    • Introduction to Amenity Plants
    • Flowering Plants
    • Lower Plants – Conifers, Ferns
    • Rhododendrons and Azaleas
    • Roses
    • Bulbs
    • Practical – Plant Review Worksheets
  2. Parts of the Plant
    • Plant Identification Skills
    • How to increase your Plant I.D. Skills
    • Terminology
    • Lead Types
    • Structure and Arrangement of Leaves and Leaflets
    • Common Leaf Shapes
    • Flower Structure
    • Parts of a Flower
    • The Inflorescence
    • Types of Flowers – bisexual, unisexual, monoecious, dioeceous
    • How a Seed Forms
    • Plant Structure
    • Stems and Stem Modifications
    • Leaves and Leaf Modifications
    • Roots and Root Function
    • Root Modifications
    • Morphological Changes as a Plant Matures
    • Cell Structure and Histology
    • Cell Components
    • Plant Cell Types
    • Plant Tissue Comparisons
    • Photosynthesis
    • Factors Affecting Photosynthesis
    • Respiration
    • Rate of Respiration
    • Transpiration
    • Environmental Factors Affecting Transpiration and Water Uptake
    • The Nitrogen Cycle
    • Terminology
  3. Plant Culture – Planting
    • Planting
    • Environmental Influences on Plants
    • Potting Up Plants
    • Potting Shrubs and Trees
    • Introduction to Gardening Basics
    • Terminology
    • Common Mistakes when Planting
    • Plant Selection Criteria
    • Economics of Planting
    • Ongoing Costs
    • Longevity
    • General Hardiness
    • Aesthetic Criteria
    • Basic Planting Procedure
    • Fertiliser
    • Staking
    • Bare Rooted Plants
    • Timing of Planting
    • Considerations, Variety, Time, Locality, Mulching
    • Laying a New Lawn – Soil Prep, Levels, Sowing, Raking in, Watering
    • Turf Grass Varieties – Couch, Fescue, Rye, Bent, Kentucky Blue
  4. Plant Culture – Pruning
    • Fruit or Vegetative Buds
    • Reasons for Pruning
    • Removing Dead or Diseased Wood
    • Controlling Growth Type
    • Controlling Shape and Size
    • Rejuvenation
    • Basic Pruning Rules
    • Home Orchard Pruning
    • Fruit Tree Pruning Styles
    • Before Pruning
    • Considerations while Pruning
    • Pruning Terminology
  5. Plant Culture – Irrigation and Machinery
    • Water and Irrigation
    • Infiltration and Drainage
    • Types of Irrigation
    • Flood Irrigation
    • Sprinkler Irrigation
    • Trickle Irrigation
    • Power Tools
    • Types of Power Tools
    • Power Tool Maintenance
    • Oil
    • Buying Power Tools
    • Chainsaws – Use, Starting, Chain Sharpening
    • Mowers – types. Guidelines for use, Care
    • Brush Cutters/ Strimmers
    • Mulchers
    • Rotary Hoes
    • Hedge Trimmers
    • Irrigation Objectives and Feasibility
    • Understanding Soil, Water and Plants
    • Gravitational, Capillary and Hygroscopic Water
    • Measuring Water Available to Plants
    • Calculations – Field Capacity, Wilting Point
    • Available Moisture Range
    • Root Depths for Different Plants
    • Estimating Plant Water Requirement
    • When to Irrigate
    • Symptoms of Water Deficiency and Excess
    • Types of Sprinkler Systems and Sprinkler Heads
    • Design and Operation of Irrigation Systems
    • Cyclic Watering
    • Pulse Watering
    • Irrigation Scheduling
    • Selecting Surface Irrigation Methods
  6. Soils and Media
    • Potting Mixes
    • Factors Affecting Fertiliser Application
    • Soils
    • Sampling Soils
    • Soil Composition
    • Colloids and Peds
    • Soil Texture and Structure
    • Soil Chemical Properties
    • Improving Soils – texture, structure, fertility
    • Soil Terminology
  7. Soils ad Nutrition
    • Introduction
    • Nutrient Elements
    • Macronutrients
    • Nitrogen
    • Phosphorus
    • Potassium
    • Magnesium
    • Calcium
    • Sulphur
    • Micronutrients
    • Soil pH and Nutrient Availability
    • Soil Ameliorants
    • Total Salts
    • Salinity
    • Sources of Salt
    • Control Methods for Salinity
    • Soil Sodicity
    • Water, Air and Nutrients
    • Soil Temperature
    • Key to Diagnosis of Nutritional Problems
    • Fertilisers
    • Composting
    • Compost Ingredients
  8. Propagation – Seed and Cuttings
    • Introduction
    • Seed Propagation
    • Hygiene
    • How to Sow Seeds in Containers
    • Seed Germination
    • Seed Sources
    • Seed Storage
    • Factors Affecting Seed Storage
    • Germinating Difficult Seeds
    • Seed Dormancy
    • Treatments to Break Dormancy
    • Cutting Propagation
    • Cutting Types – Softwood, Hardwood, Semi Hardwood, Herbaceous, Stem, Tip, Heal. Leaf, etc
    • Factors affecting Rooting of Cuttings
    • Plant Breeding
    • Hybrid Seed Production
    • Maintaining Genetic Identity in Seed
    • Hand Pollination
  9. Propagation – Other Techniques
    • Division
    • Aseptic Micro Propagation
    • Grafting
    • Budding
    • Layering
    • Tip Layering
    • Mound Layering
    • Simple Layering
    • Compound Layering
    • Aerial Layering
    • Natural Layering – Suckers, Runners, Offsets, Crowns
    • Propagation with Specialised Stems and Roots – Bulbs, Corms, Tubers, Rhizomes, Pseudobulbs
    • Propagating Bulbs – Bulblets on Scales, Stem Cuttings, Bulbils, Basal Cutting etc
  10. Identification and Use of Plants – Landscape Application
    • Plants in the Landscape
    • Choosing Plants – criteria
    • Inspecting Plants Pre Purchase
    • Trees for Landscaping
    • Factors for Tree Selection
    • Potential Tree Problems
    • Choosing Shrubs for Different Purposes
    • Groundcovers
    • Building Plant Knowledge of Many Tree and Shrub Genera
    • Trees for Different Conditions
    • Planting Techniques
    • Soil Restrictions on Planting
  11. Identification and Use of Plants-Problem Situations
    • Establishing Trees
    • Tree Size & Age at Planting
    • Root Containment at Planting - Container Type, Bare Rooted or Balled
    • What to look for when Buying a Tree
    • Plant Protection at Planting – Staking, Frost Protection, Sun Protection, Cages
    • Controlling Birds
    • Props
    • Cabling & Bolting
    • Quick Reference Plant Directory
    • Container Growing Outside
    • Street Tree Reporting
  12. Identification and Use of Plants – Indoor
    • Introduction to Indoor Plants
    • Why Indoor Plants Die
    • Potting Mixes
    • Drainage holes in Pots
    • How to Pot a small Plant to a Larger Pot
    • Potting up Hanging Baskets
    • Plantscaping with Ferns
    • Fern Families and Genera
  13. Pests
    • Chemical Pest Control
    • Law
    • Chemical Labelling
    • Non Chemical Pest Control
    • Care when Using Chemicals
    • Entomology & Insect Control Methods
    • Types of Insect Poisons – contact, intermediate, stomach, translocated or not
    • Integrated Pest Management
    • Insecticide Use with IPM
    • Preventative Actions in the Garden
    • Understanding Pesticides – Reading the Label
    • Toxicity, Activity Spectrum, LD50. Persistence, Volatility, etc.
    • Chemical Types -Inorganic, Biological, Organophosphates, Organochlorines, Carbamates, etc.
    • Review of Specific Chemical Products
    • Diatomaceous earth, Soaps
    • Fungicides
    • Ways of Applying Chemicals – Spraying, Dusting, Granules, Irrigation injection
    • Safety Procedures when Using Agricultural Chemicals
    • Differentiation of Pests, Diseases and Viruses
    • Review of most Common Pests
  14. Diseases
    • Fungicides
    • Plant Pathology
    • Identifying a Problem – Parasitic, Non Parasitic
    • Treating a Problem
    • Diagnosis of Plant Disorders – Visual Appearance, Possible Cause, Appropriate Treatment
    • Common Diseases
    • Anthracnose
    • Blight
    • Canker
    • Damping Off
    • Galls
    • Leaf Spot
    • Mildew
    • Rots
    • Rust
    • Smut
    • Mould
    • Wilt
    • Other Common Diseases
    • Turf Fungal Diseases
    • Plant Virus Detection and Diagnosis
    • Arboriculture and Tree Health
  15. Weeds
    • What is a Weed
    • Steps to Controlling Weeds
    • Weed Control with Suffocation
    • Weed Control with Burning
    • Cultivation to Control Weeds
    • Other Non Chemical Weed Control Methods – Grazing, Mowing, Flooding, pH change, Biological Controls
    • Weed Control with Herbicides
    • Modes of Action
    • Regulations and Laws - Restricted Use & Supply
    • Avoiding Spray Drift
    • Types of Herbicide Chemicals – Aliphatics, Amides, Ureas, Carbamates etc.
    • Herbicide Resistance and Tolerance
    • Safe Use of Weed killers
    • Safety Guidelines and First Aid in relation to Chemical Use
    • Cleaning Up a Chemical Spill
    • Identifying Weeds
    • Controlling Weeds in Different Places – fence lines, base of trees, garden Beds, Hard Surfaces
    • Types of Weeds
    • Noxious Weeds
    • Environmental Weeds
    • Common Weeds
    • Terminology
    • THIS CONCLUDES THE CORE STUDIES AFTER WHICH YOU CHOOSE A STREAM FOR THE SECOND HALF OF THIS COURSE.
  16. Overview of the Viticulture Industry
    • Global Viticulture
    • Climate Change Impacts
    • Major Wine Growing Areas around the World
    • The Grape
    • Genus Vitus and Muscadinia
    • Variety Classification
    • Table Grapes, Wine Grapes, Dried Fruit, Juice, Canned.
  17. Introduction to Grapevines
    • Hoe Plants Grow
    • Roots, Stems, Leaves
    • Reproductive Parts
    • Pollination
    • Fruit Set, Development and Growth
    • Plant Cells & Parts
    • Cell Walls
    • Types of Plant Cells
    • Plant Tissues - Xylem, Phloem, etc
    • Photosynthesis
    • Chloroplasts
    • Environmental Factors affecting Photosynthesis
    • Respiration
    • Transpiration
    • Water Use in Plants
    • Growth in the Grape Vine
  18. Propagation Of Grapevines
    • Introduction to Grafting
    • Why Budding or Grafting
    • How a Graft Forms
    • Factors Influencing Graft Formation
    • Carpentry of Grafting
    • Types of Grafts
    • Grafting Tapes
    • Bench Grafting
    • Phylloxera
    • Characteristics of Commonly Used Rootstocks
    • Cutting Propagation
    • Hardwood Cuttings
    • Softwood Cuttings
    • Leaf Bud Single Node Cuttings
    • Hormone Treatment
    • Terminology
  19. Improving Grape Quality
    • Flower Set
    • Second Set
    • Girdling
    • Berry Thinning - Hand or Chemically
    • Pest and Diseases in Grapes
    • Integrated Pest Management in Vineyards
    • Pests
    • Grape Phylloxera
    • Management
    • Monitoring and Treatments
    • Chemical Controls
    • Grape Berry Moth
    • Mealy Bug
    • Grape Leaf Folder
    • Nematodes
    • Leaf Hoppers
    • Rust Mite
    • Midge
    • Beetles
    • Larger Animals
    • Grape Diseases
    • Fungal - Mould, Mildew, Dieback etc
    • Bacterial Disease
    • Viruses
    • Organic Grape Culture
    • Birds
  20. Climate and Other Factors for Siting Vineyards
    • Temperature
    • Temperature Index and Degree Days
    • Sunlight
    • Rainfall
    • Soil
    • Soil Types and Wine regions
    • Terroir
    • Physical Soil Characteristics
    • Chemical Soil Characteristics
    • Understanding Plant Nutrition
    • Soil Water Content
    • Simple Soil Tests
    • Measuring Soil Water Content
  21. Grape Varieties & Selection
    • Grape Types
    • Selection Considerations
    • What to Plant
    • What is First - Site or Variety
    • Matching Variety to Site
    • Varietal Characteristics
    • Selecting Wine Grapes
    • Yield
    • Available Clones
    • Significant Varieties
    • Chenin Blanc
    • Chardonnay
    • Pinot Blanc
    • Semillon
    • Muscat Ottonel
    • Muscadelle
    • Gewürztraminer
    • Cabernet Sauvignon
    • Vitus rotundifolia
    • Wine Grapes
    • Raisin Grapes
    • Juice Grapes
  22. Establishing a Vineyard
    • Planning
    • Making Decisions
    • Site Planning
    • Vineyard Layout
    • Site Preparation
    • Soil Preparation
    • Shelter Belts
    • Planting the Vines
    • Vine Spacing
    • Cropping Infrastructure
    • Sloping and Terraced Sites
    • Equipment
    • How to Plant a Grape Vine
    • Planting Bare Rooted Vines
    • Pruning and Training
    • Shoot Spacing
    • Vine Spacing
    • Bud Numbers
    • Machine Pruning
    • Summer Pruning
    • Combination Pruning
    • Stages in Pruning a Sultana Vine
    • Trellising
    • Trellis Construction - End Assembly, Posts, Wire, etc
    • Geneva Double Curtain System
    • Kniffen Systems
    • Head Training System
    • Cordoning
    • Guyot System
    • Umbrella System
    • Pergola System
  23. Harvesting and Post Harvest
    • Introduction
    • Harvesting
    • Ripeness Testing
    • The Ripening Process
    • Influence of Weather
    • Pathogen Life Cycles
    • Harvest Techniques
    • Selling Grapes
    • Guidelines for Selling to a Winery
    • Vineyard Resume
    • Strategies for Selling Grapes
    • Contracts
    • Selling Online
    • Brokers
    • The Salesperson
    • Marketing and Economics
    • Developing a Marketing Plan
    • Advertising
    • Publicity
    • Market Research
    • Market Legalities
    • Wine Making
    • Fermentation
    • White vs Red Processes
    • Clearing and Finishing
  24. Managing a Vineyard
    • Work Scheduling
    • Health and Safety
    • Communication Skills
    • Written Communication
    • Conciseness
    • Preciseness
    • Office Functions
    • Office Processes
    • Flow Charts
    • Statistics
    • Data Storage and Management
    • Financial Records
    • Bookkeeping Basics
  25. Machinery and Equipment
    • Equipment Used in Vineyards
    • Small Tools
    • Winery Specific Tools
    • Secateurs
    • Spades and Shovels
    • Wheelbarrows
    • Sprayers
    • Tractors
    • Cultivators
    • Tractor Safety and Maintenance
  26. Irrigation
    • Water Management
    • Runoff
    • Water Saving Measures
    • Irrigating and Feeding Grapes
    • Excessive Irrigation
    • Seasonal Effects
    • Irrigation Monitoring and Timing
    • Drip Irrigation
    • Irrigation Design Considerations
    • Soil and Water
    • Gravitational Water
    • Capillary Water
    • Hygroscopic Water
    • Water Deficiency and Excess
    • Timing of Irrigations
    • Cyclic Watering
    • Calculating Field Capacity
    • Calculating Permanent Wilting Point
    • Available Moisture Range
    • Calculating Air Filled Porosity
    • Estimating Water Required
    • Vineyard Drainage
    • Improving Sub Soil and Surface Drainage
  27. Plant Nutrition
    • Basic Chemistry and Plant Nutrition
    • Writing Chemical Names
    • What chemicals a Plant Needs
    • Calculating Formulae
    • Plant Nutritional Elements
    • Soil Fertility
    • Type and Timing of Fertilising
    • Fertigation
  28. Agricultural Chemicals
    • Chemical Use
    • Herbicides
    • Knockdown, Residual, Contact, Systemic Herbicides
    • Pre emergent herbicides
    • Selective Herbicides
    • Characteristics of Insecticides
    • Chemical Herbicide Control Methods
    • Review of Various Pesticides that may be Used in Vineyards
  29. Supervision
    • Management Fundamentals
    • Planning
    • Organising
    • Leading
    • Controlling
    • Supervision Fundamentals
    • Communication Skills for Supervisors
    • Listening Skills
    • Active Listening
    • Organisation Structures
    • Supervision Tasks
    • Supervision Styles
    • Influence in the Workplace
    • Familiarity
    • Giving Directives and Orders
    • Making Instructions Clear
    • Employee Evaluation Systems
    • Job Analysis
  30. Increasing Efficiency
    • Production Plan
    • Information Collection for Planning
    • Decisions that May be Required
    • Propagation Production System
    • Organising & Re-organising a Workplace
    • Performance Management
    • Staff Appraisals
    • Labour Wastage
    • Age Profiling
    • Staff Training
    • Improving Efficiency- Vineyard Layout
    • Designing a Store
    • Customer Service

How Can You Get More Fruit on a Grape Vine?

Grapes (Vitis vinifera), have what are known as bisexual flowers - both the male and female flowers parts occur on the same organ.  The inconspicuous flowers of grapes are held in racemes (bunches), which after fertilisation, become the seed bearing fruit.  The fruit/seed is not considered to be either male or female - it is a self-contained organism capable of becoming a new plant.  However some plants do have sexual parts on different organs.  Monoecious or unisexual plants have separate male and female flowers on the same plant.  Dioecious plants (such as kiwi fruit) have male and female flowers on separate plants.

At the start of spring, the leaf buds burst open to produce a vegetative shoot well before the flower opens (up to 8 weeks).
When the flower buds do burst, the flowers need to be pollinated for good fruit set. This is assisted by light winds. It is not affected much, if at all, by insects.  Warm dry weather helps though. Two or three days after flowers appear.

Unfertilised flowers usually either:

  • Drop off quickly
  • Form a berry that falls off later
  • Form a berry that does not grow very large.

Occasionally, and on certain varieties decent berries may develop from unfertilised flowers.

There are three ways to assist better fruit set:

  1. Prune the tips of growing shoots a few days before flowering. Doing this removes the competition for nutrients between the flowers and rapidly growing tips of shoots.  The theory is that temporarily removing the vegetative competition for nutrients and water will provide a better supply to the flowers during this critical period.
  2. Girdling.
  3. Applying a chemical growth retardant.  By reducing shoot growth, fruit set is increased. This works on light yielding grapes; but it is not suggested for grapes that do not have a fruit set problem. It has the same affect on the vine as girdling.
What Grape Should You Grow?
Grape vines are not all the same. Some are grown as cuttings, others are selected varieties, that have been propagated by grafting onto a cutting grown plant.
 
Why?
Grafted plants are commonly used as a way of controlling a serious health problem caused by an aphis
Grape Phylloxera is a small aphid which lives on the roots (and occasionally the leaves) of grapevines.  

It has been a significant problem in not only North America, but also Australia and other parts of the world.

Phylloxera aphids cause galls or swellings on the roots of vines which eventually decay. This process gradually reduces the vigour of the vine, and over 3 to 10 years a healthy productive vine can turn into an unhealthy, unproductive plant. Phylloxera can be devastating to a vineyard, and once infested it is difficult to bring under total control. The best method of control is to graft plants onto phylloxera resistant root stocks. Such grafted vines produce consistent and reliable crops, even when phylloxera is present.

Rootstock varieties which have a high resistance to phylloxera include:  Ramsey, Schwarzmann, 5A Teleki, 99 Richter, 100 Richter, 5BB Kober, Freedom, 140 Ruggeri and 34 EM.

  • Ramsey is best suited to hot to warm areas and sandy soils.
  • Schwarzmann grows in any type of soil and most climates.5A Teleki and 110 Richter grow on most soil types but only in warmer climates.
  • 5BB Kober grows on most soils but prefers milder climates, certainly not hot areas.

Quarantine is used in some places to prevent phylloxera spreading into unaffected vineyard areas. Because the aphis only occurs on grapevines, it is relatively easy to control by quarantine if policed properly amongst new plantings. It is most important that you always use phylloxera free and phylloxera resistant plants when planting vines.

  • Never take vines or any part of a vine from a phylloxera affected area.
  • Never take soil from vineyards in a phylloxera affected area do not grow cuttings or grafts taken from a phylloxera affected area.
  • Do not enter a vineyard without the owner's knowledge or permission.
In some regions of the world it is illegal to remove grapevines, or any part of the grapevine, from a Vine Disease District.

There is More than Meets the Eye to Growing Grapes
You can see from the issue of phylloxera, that growing grapes can  be more complicated than what the 'beginner' might think when they start studying or working in the field of viticulture.
As you go further into this subject you will realize that it is a discipline that you will never stop learning about.
There is always a better variety to be developed, with a better taste, a greater resistance to pests and diseases, and a higher level of productivity. There are always new developments in this industry, and new ways to improve production on a vineyard.

This course lays the foundation for a career, a productive business and a fascinating lifelong love affair with the grape.

 
WHO WILL BENEFIT FROM THIS COURSE?

  • Wine industry professionals and workers seeking to extend their knowledge
  • Those that want to learn the fundamentals of horticulture as well as viticulture to extend their opportunities
  • Those working in the field or looking to gain employment in this field.

 

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