|
December 23, 2019 | The Drinks Business
Fires sweeping through Australia's Adelaide Hills have destroyed 3,300 ha of vines, or roughly one-third of the region. Jared Stringer, vice-chair of the Adelaide Hills Wine Region, said the area destroyed or damaged produces the equivalent of 794,000 cases of wine, worth AU$20 million. "This is going to have extraordinary effects," he added. Our hears are with our Australian colleagues.
December 19, 2019 | University of California
A new UC Cooperative Extension study funded by the Lake County Winegrape Commission shows that, when it comes to wildfires, smoke's effect on grapes is anything but uniform. Factors include wind direction and speed, temperature, intensity and duration, fruit maturity and vineyards' proximity to an active fire. The study's intent is to give growers and winemakers methods to predict and assess smoke damage to fruit--and its economic impacts. It is "already proving useful in helping to propel the development of industry standards and protocols," says Commission President Debra Sommerfield.
December 17, 2019 | The Drinks Business
Thanks to a gift by Larkmead Vineyards, the documents of the late Dr. Harold Olmo of UC Davis will be digitized in hopes of "uncover(ing) elements of Olmo's research that could provide new insight into modern-day viticulture practices." Dr. Olmo released more than 30 wine and table grape varieties and is best known for developing the Cabernet Sauvignon "Oakville" clones that helped cement Napa Valley's global reputation.
December 16, 2019 | University of Minnesota
A University of Minnesota research team has developed faster, easier methods to produce gene-edited plants, including grapes. By eliminating the arduous requirements of tissue culture (so long, sterile lab!) and drastically reducing the time to edit plant genes from months to weeks, the new methods represent a viable approach for small, even garage-based labs, "democratizing" plant gene editing.
December 9, 2019 | Mental Floss
After hearing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" ad nauseum this season, you may start to wonder, what is figgy pudding anyway? Hint: raisins (not figs) are involved.
December 9, 2019 | Cornell Chronicle
What makes the grape berry moth lay its eggs on grapes and not other fruits? The answer isn't entirely clear, but new research from scientists at Cornell University and Penn State points to some possible cues. New Cornell research investigates how grape berry moths, a pest for grapes, find their targets amid a sea of other plants in the landscape.
December 9, 2019 | Wine Australia
Research from Charles Sturt University has identified a promising biocontrol for eutypa and botryosphaeria dieback. In lab tests, strains of the Pseudomonas bacteria was shown to be as much as 80% effective at reducing the rate of infection of these trunk diseases. More work is needed, they say, but it's an important breakthrough on the control of GTDs.
December 5, 2019 | Wine Business Monthly
Colleagues gathered to honor former UC Davis professor David Smart, who retired in 2018 for health reasons. In his nearly two decades at the university, his research focused on rootstock root physiology and soil nutrient cycling, and he was extensively involved in global climate change research. At the event, speakers shared their experiences working with Dr. Smart, recalling quotes like this one: "'There is no room in science for perfection.'"
December 5, 2019 | National Wine and Grape Industry Centre
New research from the National Wine and Grape Industry Centre of New South Wales finds that, when doing tissue analysis to estimate grapevine nutrient status, it's important to use the whole petiole. The research by scientists from the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Charles Sturt University reveals significant differences in the nutrient status of different parts of the petiole. "We found more than a two-fold difference in the level of potassium between the middle portion of the petiole and the portion closer to the leaf, [and] a 20% difference in phosphorus," they report.
December 2, 2019 |
Washington State University
A team of researchers, including two at Washington State University, is developing a sustainable alternative to traditional de-icers using grape skins and other agricultural waste. Interestingly, like winemaking, the process involves fermentation. Drink up, snowy roads!
December 2019 | California PD/GWSS Board
Upon the reemergence of Pierce's disease in Napa and Sonoma counties in 2015, with up to 25% vines showing symptoms in sample vineyards, this UC Berkeley-led project was initiated to explore shifts in PD's epidemiology. In this final report, the team's findings point to the potential for vine-to-vine spread in vineyards, spittlebugs as vectors, and other ecology-based management practices.
November 29, 2019 | The Washington Post
Warren Winiarski, founder of Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, and owner of Arcadia Vineyards, has helped to make grape history--more than once. His 1973 Stag's Leap Wine Cellars SLV Cabernet Sauvignon was the top-scoring red wine in the Judgment of Paris. And now, he's the first winemaker to receive the Smithsonian's James Smithson Bicentennial Medal.
November 27, 2019 | Good Fruit Grower
Cheers to Oregon State University's Southern Oregon Research & Extension Center, where viticulturist Dr. Alexander Levin and plant pathologist Dr. Achala KC have brought a renewed focus to the region's winegrape production. Both came to the center in 2016 and have launched research programs targeting grapevine red blotch, rootstocks and irrigation, and more.
November 2019 |
Oregon Wine Research Institute
Do winegrape cultivars respond differently to water deficits? Here,
Oregon State University's Dr. Alexander Levin reports on a study observing the differences in stomatal behavior of 20 cultivars grafted on the same rootstock. The results suggest that a one-size-fits-all irrigation management strategy may not be your best bet.
November 2019 | Oregon Wine Research Institute
The multi-discipline research team working on the USDA Intelligent Sprayer Project has moved from proof of concept to evaluation of standard sprayers retrofitted with intelligent spray system (ISS) components. Overall, they report, the ISS should prove to be an effective system to reduce pesticide quantity, water and/or labor.
October 17, 2019 | American Vineyard Magazine
Recent developments and technological advances in plant and soil sensing has taken precision viticulture to a whole new level. Watch this interview with UC Davis Viticulture Extension Specialist Kaan Kurtural from American Vineyard Magazine to learn how vineyard managers are putting it into practice.
September 2019
| Oregon Wine Research Institute
'Tis the season...for pruning. Dr. Patty Skinkis at Oregon State University conducted a research trial comparing cane and spur pruning in Oregon, finding that pinot noir can be spur-pruned without yield losses.
|
