Enhance Vineyard Performance with the best grape vine covers Photo-selective Films 🍇

Stefano Franchini
May 20
2 min read

Discover how photo-selective plastic covers improve yield, fruit quality, and harvest timing in table grape production.

Why Use Photo-selective Films?

In Australia’s increasingly variable climate, managing sun exposure, humidity and disease pressure is essential. Photo-selective films— are the best grapevine covers - plastic covers engineered to filter specific wavelengths of light—create a protected microclimate that optimises grape development and reduces production risks.

Key Agronomic Advantages:

✅ Climate protection: Shields fruit from rain, hail, and wind.

✅ Reduced fungicide use: Cut from 20+ applications to just 4–5 per season.

✅ Light modulation: Enhances useful PAR, filters damaging UV.

✅ Stable microclimate: +1.9 to +2.8 °C under canopy, with lower leaf wetness.

Using plastic covers, growers can advance harvest by up to 6 days and significantly improve cluster uniformity and colour development.

Yield and Fruit Quality Improvements

Parameter	With Photo-selective Film	Without Cover
Bunch weight	+38%	Standard
Yield per vine	+62%	Lower
Berry colour	Enhanced pigmentation	Uneven, risk of sunburn
Disease pressure	Significantly reduced	High (e.g. powdery mildew)
Soluble solids (°Brix)	Slight reduction (manageable)	Higher, but less balanced

Targeted Solutions by Grape Colour/Variety

Grape Type	Example Varieties	Primary Goal	Recommended Films
White Seedless	Autumn Crisp, Arra 15, Sugraone	Sunburn protection, sugar increase	Anisolar, Anigold
Red Seedless	Crimson, Allison, Timco	Uniform red coloration, ripening	Anigold, Multicolor 35
Black Seedless	Autumn Royal, Sweet Sapphire	Intense black colour, skin firmness	Multicolor 35, Anigold Net

Manufacturers like Aniplast offer films with tailored UV management, light diffusion, and thermal control properties.

See our Vine Cover Range

Quality That’s Visible—and Taste-able!

Enhanced phenolic and aroma content: Improved flavour, colour intensity, and antioxidant levels.
Better sugar-acid balance: More gradual ripening for premium taste profile.
Superior appearance: More uniform clusters, fewer small berries, reduced sunburn damage.

In Brazilian seedless trials, grapes under film were rated as ‘excellent’ in both health and visual appeal by consumers.