September 24, 2019
A Programmed Approach Delivers a Better Outcome
Established as a dried fruit enterprise by Don and Josie Frasca in the 1970s, Frasca Trio Estate was converted to wine grape production in 1998.
Now managed by their three sons, Chris, Steve and Wayne Frasca and their respective families, the vineyard has more than 120 ha planted to Chardonnay, Shiraz, Cabernet, Pinot Grigio, Lambrusco and Prosecco.
Steve Frasca, who supervises the vineyard’s fertigation and crop protection programs, commenced the new crop nutrition program under the guidance of Yara Sales Agronomist, David Coombes, two seasons ago.
“We’d been using Yara fertilisers off and on for about 10 years,” he says.
“However, we weren’t sure if we were getting a result from using them – or any other fertiliser, for that matter.
“It’s no secret that the wine industry has been pretty tight in recent years, so we have to focus our management on producing quality tonnes, not bulk.
“I knew David from his previous roles with Murray Valley Winemakers and Orlando Wines and I was very confident about giving him a go when he joined Yara.”
David, who has nearly 15 years’ experience in the grape and irrigated cropping sectors, says the tailor-made program is designed to optimise vine health, crop yield and wine quality.
“Our overriding objective is to produce a high yielding crop that satisfies the needs of two of Australia’s largest winemakers,” he says
“Many producers and winemakers still believe that quantity can only be achieved at the expense of quality, which simply isn’t correct.
“A balanced nutritional program allows you to do both.
“Our goal is to get the most out of every watering by delivering exactly the right amount of the right nutrients at the right time.
“Every program is different but the overarching principle is to start off with nitrogen and calcium early in the season, while potassium in combination with calcium become more important later in the season.”
The Frasca’s fertigation program is based on the use of Yara Liquids N-25 and N-Cal liquid fertilisers to deliver the primary sources of nitrogen, calcium and boron, and YaraTera water-soluble fertilisers to deliver potassium, phosphorus and sulphur.
Yara Liquids N25 is a true liquid containing 25% nitrogen, half of which is delivered as readily-available nitrate nitrogen for immediate plant uptake during shoot growth and fruit set.
Yara Liquids N-CAL (35% N and 6% Ca or 15% N, 18% Ca + 0.02 % B) is a clear liquid fertiliser containing 100% water soluble nitrate nitrogen, calcium and boron.
Other products used in the fertigation program are YaraTera KRISTA K PLUS (13.7% N and 38.4% K), YaraTera KRISTA MKP (22.7% N and 28.2% K), YaraTera KRISTA MAP (12% N and 26.6% P), YaraTera KRISTA MgS (9.6 % Mg and 13% S), YaraTera SOP (43% K and 18% S) and YaraTera CALCINIT (15.5% N + 19% Ca).
In addition, two foliar fertilisers – YaraVita STOP IT (16% Ca) and YaraVita MAGTRAC (6.9% N and 30% Mg) – are used to deliver additional calcium and magnesium directly to the foliage or fruit.
Steve Frasca says the program, while still in its early days, has already delivered noticeable improvements.
“In our first year, we did a fairly basic program based on N25, MAP and calcium nitrate,” he says.
“This year we pushed it a little bit harder by including the micronutrients and foliar sprays.
“Our yields and quality are definitely better, even with the heat wave we had over summer.
“We’ve got nice cane growth and thickness, without too much canopy.
“Overall, we are very happy and intend to run the same program next season to bed it down before we ramp it up further.”
Steve says the additional investment is more than worth it.
“We’re not putting any more units of nutrients, but rather putting them on in the right combination at the right time,” he says.
“We paying a bit of a premium – maybe one or two percent – but it’s worth it because we are getting what we are paying for.“You can save $50/t here and there using basic products – or you can spend a bit more to use quality products and get results.
“With Yara, we know we are getting a quality product, backed by ongoing service from people who genuinely want to help you.
“As a medium-sized operation, we don’t get the same sort of attention that the bigger companies receive so we are grateful for the assistance he provides.
“We know that David is here to provide advice, not to sell us more product.”
• Steve Frasca (Image courtesy of www.sunraysiadaily.com.au)