'Fit Vine': A mobile device application for rapid in-field pre-planting evaluation of grapevines

The leading causes of sporadic failures of newly planted vines and early decline of young vineyards have been traced to trunk disease infections and other defects in planting material. However, these defects often go unnoticed by nurseries and their customers until the vinesfail in the vineyard, by which time a great deal of time and money have been lost. Until recently, there has been no objective standard for assessing the quality of grapevinesplanting material, but this situation has now been remedied with the publication of the Australian Standard for Grapevine Material (AS5588-2013) that describes quality standards for both cuttings and finished vines. To bridge the gap between the Standard and its practicalapplication in nurseries and vineyards, a computer based tool called 'Fit Vineâ'� has been developed for evaluating the quality, disease status and over all 'fitnessâ'� of grapevine material prior to planting. The 'Fit Vineâ'� tool has been developed as an application (app) for mobile devices (iPhones, iPads etc.) and enables nurseries to check the quality of vines before despatch and growers to evaluate vines prior to planting. 'Fit Vineâ'� is quick and easy to use and requires no special equipment or training. 'Fit Vineâ'� calculates a risk score for each batch of vines that can be used to determine if the vines are likely to underperform in the vineyard. It also provides an objective basis for negotiation should any disputes arise between nurseries and growers.