Yield Predictor
The Sectormentor Yield Predictor allows you to make predictions for each of your blocks with the click of a button, using flower or bunch counts collected in the vineyard.
Reflect on past season predictions, see your prediction accuracy in the Harvest Report, view an estimation range based on your historical bunch weights, and add expected losses for any unexpected events that come up during the season.
Regularly update & see how your yield prediction progresses as the season develops.
Viticulturalist, Tony Purdie, tells us how Sectormentor helped him ensure accurate yield predictions:
“We sell most of our grapes, so it’s vitally important to stay within the parameters of our contract and assure we are maximising our return while maintaining a realistic crop load for vine health and wine quality. In the past this was always a time consuming process, bringing together many pieces of paper and spreadsheets and a lot of work to get it right…
Last year our prediction was really accurate, thanks to us using Sectormentor. In terms of collecting data it’s the Rolls Royce of vineyard apps – it makes the bunch counts very easy. With the Yield Predictor everything is in one place and it makes the predictions immediately visible so we can easily make decisions and plan for the season ahead. Sectormentor saves us time and helps us run our business more efficiently.”
Tony Purdie, Yotes Court Vineyard, UK
Yield Prediction: Inflorescence Counts
Your first estimate of the season uses inflorescence counts combined with average bunch weights for each block from previous years. Sectormentor allows you to easily record inflorescence counts at sample vines using your phone.
You can then use the Yield Predictor to see average inflorescence counts in each block and the total predicted yield for each block. At this stage you’re working with a fairly crude estimate, but it’s an important start.
Yield Prediction: Bunch Counts at Fruit Set
Once fruit set is complete you can go out to count bunches and add them to update your yield prediction, to help decide if any grape thinning (or green harvest) is necessary.
If you do decide to thin the fruit at this point, many people will do another bunch count to update how many bunches are still there. The Yield Predictor automatically updates your averages, remembering your bunch weights, so it’s easy to update your predictions as you go.
Yield Prediction: Weigh bunches at Veraison
At lag phase, or veraison, you can add your actual average bunch weights alongside a multiplier into Sectormentor, and the Yield Predictor will scale up the weights to give you a more accurate yield prediction.
You can then compare your new prediction to previous years, see your total predicted harvest weight, and compare all predictions across your blocks!