Benefits

An increasingly intense weather phenomenon that affects various crops in different areas and can completely or partially compromise production as well as the health of the system itself.Several studies show that even a mild hail storm at the beginning of the season can seriously damage the crop harvest.Particularly severe hail storms can cause total loss of production and the following year’s harvest can also be compromised. In the case of espalier vines, severe damage to the ripening shoots prevents correct selection of the fruiting head for the following year.With the HTS system, this does not occur: protection from hail is guaranteed thanks to properly tensioned nets which prevent damage to both production and the shoots.

The impact of wild animals is increasingly being felt in many wine-growing regions around the world. The main problems are caused by:

• Hooved animals such as deer, roe deer and wild boar
• Birds especially thrushes and blackbirds

Financial losses are caused: by the eating and damage to ripe grapes, from nibbling and the removal of bark from shoots (particularly by roe deer), which result in a drop in the quality of the harvested grapes and, in some cases, a drop in production the following year.All this damage is prevented by using the HTS system, which thanks to specific accessories, allows to close off the vineyard completely, preventing access to wildlife.

With climate change causing an increase in maximum temperatures, lengthening of the summer season and an increase in solar radiation, scorching is becoming more and more frequent.Scorching of bunches normally occurs during the hottest months when the effects of the sun are aggravated by long periods of clear skies and sudden rises in temperature. This is easily resolved with the use of the standard net that in addition to protecting from scorching, offers all the other benefits of the HTS system.In vineyards that are especially affected by scorching, a high-shade net is used.A study conducted by the University of Palermo is currently under way in Sicily and Piedmont where the effect of various nets used with the HTS system is being investigated. The aim is to protect the grapes, while at the same time allowing the bunch to correctly develop and ripen, thus maintaining the high quality standards of the product obtained.

The main problem in the absence of a net occurs in spring, when wind tears off the buds of the fruit head, due to the heavy shaking and the delicate nature of the buds themselves.In France, especially in the area of Provence, the problem is significant due to the mistrals, an especially strong type of wind. The HTS system allows you to better protect the vineyard and reduce management costs at the same time.

When active the HTS system shows significant reduction in leave entanglement.This effect allows the grapes to ripen better during the various phases and also improves the effectiveness of plant treatments.The bud moves towards the light (positive geotropism), and obviously under a net it received less light along the sides. It therefore moves as quickly as possible to the top, developing shoots and inter-nodes that are more regular, thereby producing less foliage.

Cost savings result thanks to lower vineyard management costs:

• Once the first pair of wires has been closed off during the regrowth phase, you will no longer have to manage growth because the net will guide the shoots to the top of the wall.Pruning of side shoots will no longer be required. Only topping will be needed.See topping video.
• More compact espalier and greater efficiency during plant-health treatments. See video: topping video.
• Lower costs due to reduced personnel managing the canopy during the season.
• Option of  mechanical harvesting
• Allows for use of pre-pruner

E’ di facile montaggio ed è adattabile a qualsiasi tipologia di spalliera (vedi video montaggio rete).

Easy to assemble and can be adapted to any type of espalier (see net assembly video).Can be lifted when various operations are required such as thinning, closing of the first pair of wires, leaf removal, etc. See leaf removal video .

Thanks to the plate with clip, the net can be pulled up completely so that it is out of the way during important operations in the dormant phase (pruning, thinning, etc.)

In addition, once the net is held up by the plate and clip, it can be unclipped and released back to the ground without losing tension.

The HTS system integrates perfectly with highly mechanised vineyards.Most vineyard machines can be used.

See mechanised harvest video