soil mapping, procedure used before vineyard planting to assist in decisions about irrigation layout, location of varieties and rootstocks, application of fertilizers and soil amendments such as lime and gypsum, and choice of training system. Soil mapping is becoming more common in vineyard developments in the New World, and represents acceptance of the Old World notion that local conditions, especially the soil, have important effects on fruit quality. It is also used after a vineyard has been planted, often much later, to help understand vineyard variability.