What’s SupaVine?
SupaVine cane control system is a unique, PATENTED stringing system for growing
kiwifruit. Developed 7 years ago by engineer Andrew McIsaac in Paengaroa, New Zealand,
it provides substantial benefits to the orchard owner and manager.
It is smart, easy, affordable and effective. SupaVine offers a string of grower benefits,
including massive reductions in labour and reject rates, as well as increased fruit volumes of
superior quality. It also improves air circulation throughout the canopy.
SupaVine has been designed to:
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Create easy and stress free winter pruning with reduced labour costs
Eliminate specialized pruning
Improve dry matter
Maximize production
Lower reject rates
Increase efficiency by re-using string, year after year
Promote bigger, stronger, healthier new canes, growing up to 9 metres
Improve light and air circulation to all canes
Reduce shading because leaders are evenly spaced
Increase bud growth
Reduce risk of fungal disease as leaders are kept clean
Minimize wind damage, preventing blowouts
Make laying of new canes effortless as there is no bending
Once in place the true benefits of the system such as higher kiwifruit yields, better quality
kiwifruit and time savings in orchard management become very apparent.
SupaVine is manufactured by Steel Image Engineering, Paengaroa (Bay of Plenty).
SupaVine on Green to G3 conversion
The conversion from Green to G3 last year in July was a smart move for a Te Puke Grower.
Unfortunately one third of the graft didn’t take. On January 15th 2011 SupaVine was installed
and has more than made up for the loss.
Other orchardists have similar results and are sold on the benefits of Supavine for their
orchards.
SupaVine on G3 – New Varieties
The Model Orchard
This BOP orchardist converted part of his green orchard to G3 in July 2010.
One third of the graft didn’t take.
On January 15th 2010 he installed SupaVine, which managed to make up for the loss with
long, thick canes that were able to fill the canopy effectively.
Supavine was also adapted to work with his shelter belt.
This grower is very pleased with the results.
SupaVine on G3 - Gallery
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back home
Contact us for a free information pack
Interested growers and orchard managers are more than welcome to drop by to view and
discuss the SupaVine system and our new orchard innovations. Or email us for a free
information pack.
ommenting on SupaVine, which they installed in May 2008.
SupaVine is our sustainable business practice choice,
for many reasons...
here are a few...
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By growing canes up strings we have strong, big canes which gives us bigger fruiting
buds, which gives us stronger terminated laterals, which increases our production.
We have 35% more fruitlets on SupaVine, than our unstrung (control) block.
We are looking at a potential increase of 6000 trays per ca ha this year.
The workload has become easier and more consistent because of the bigger stronger
canes.
With pruning, it’s much easier as the selection has already been made.
Wind damage is minimized due to the canes being attached to the strings
Our investment in SupaVine will have paid for itself within 2 years
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We are able to push replacement cane growth directly from the leader
We are able to clean up the leaders without losing canopy coverage
Supavine decreases winter pruning and tie down, lifts production and minimizes
summer work.
We have found that in comparison with TeePees:
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SupaVine is a one off cost.
SupaVine has poles every SECOND BAY rather than every bay.
Supavine eliminates wastage with the reusable string (approx. 50 tonnes of string is
burned or dumped each year in this region from Teepees).
SupaVine is sustainable
The string has been in some orchards for 5 years, with no sign of wear.
The SupaVine canes are not competing with each other on the string during the
growing season.
Instead of cutting off the last metre of cane, the entire cane growth is usable and able
to be tied down.
back home
Contact us for a free information pack
ere’s what growers are saying about SupaVine
Jan Kerkmeester, grower from Tauranga:
light filled canopy
SupaVine has given us a full, even canopy which maximizes our production area. It lets the
light through beautifully due to having the exact amount of replacement canes in the canopy,
with the new season’s canes growing up the strings into the sunlight. A dark and dense
canopy is a thing of the past. It has made pruning so much faster and easier.
we have bigger, stronger canes...
We have had a real problem with cicada damage in the past but this year we have not lost any
canes due to the fact that when lowering them, they fall directly into place with no twisting or
bending involved unlike the Teepees.
We have bigger, stronger canes with a lot more flowers on them, with 3-4 flowers per winter
bud. We have 100% bud burst this year which is phenomenal. I’ve never seen anything like it.
We have a lot less wind damage thanks to the protection of the overhead canopy and virtually
no old fruit stalks with the total replacement cane.
I’m sold on it!
You really have to see it to believe it. This is our second year with SupaVine and I am SOLD
on it.
The light filled canopy with SupaVine
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Trevor Douglas, Orchard Manager & Ian Schultz, Orchard Owner
Te Puke:
Trevor Douglas
We’ve been using SupaVine for the last 5.5 years on our organic kiwi gold and a number of
years on our conventional gold.
so easy to use...
Quite simply, it has made life on the orchard so much simpler, it’s very easy to use,
uncomplicated, and takes very little training... even explaining it to foreign workers. Apart
from that, the labour costs are hugely reduced. We have found that where 10-12 people might
have been required for pruning and vine management, we can do the same tasks now with just
4, and even in faster time. What used to take weeks... now takes hours. I can now prune a 25
square metre bay in 5 minutes. You almost have to see it to believe it.
no need for specialist pruners...
It completely cuts out the need for specialist pruners because everything that’s not on the
string gets pruned. It takes out the guesswork and gets rid of summer pruning. There is a
noticeable increase in bud nodes which are closer because of increased sunlight. Since
SupaVine was introduced to our orchard, we have experienced increased fruit volumes each
year and high dry matter levels.
every kiwifruit grower will benefit from this system...
Last year the organic gold block produced 9500 trays, (the estimated industry average is
6500) averaging size 32, with the TZG over .75% and with an enviable 19.86% dry matter.
We are looking forward to improving on that. Latest figures show that this years results are up
over 11,300 trays. Over the last 5 years our reject rate has fallen significantly from 28% to
around 12.5% because of the way the fruit is protected by the new seasons canes. Every
kiwifruit grower will benefit from this system.