November 2024

NGRA tour of OSU and USDA-ARS grape research facilities in Corvallis, OR*

There is a Japanese proverb that goes something like, “the shadow of the farmer is the best fertilizer.” Of all the things I’ve heard and learned about grapegrowing over the last nearly 20 years, that phrase is probably the most powerful. It signifies the value of showing up, being present, paying attention and focusing on the job at hand. Standing in the field (or vineyard), a farmer sees the state of things as they are, mentally catalogs the hundreds of tasks that need doing, and looks ahead to next year’s crop and the next decades’ business. All in the quiet act of casting a shadow.

As I’ve learned in my time at NGRA, that act can—and should—extend beyond the vineyard. Increasingly, our Board of Directors has sought out opportunities to tour research assets—labs, germplasm repositories, research wineries, field trials and other facilities—and meet the scientists who work there. It’s how we signal interest in and gratitude for the work that goes on to improve and sustain our industry into the future. It’s how we nurture and grow those relationships.

That’s why, earlier this month, we toured the Corvallis campus of Oregon State University. Led by Director of the Oregon Wine Research Institute, Enologist James Osborne, we saw the labs of OSU Viticulture Professor and Extension Specialist Patty Skinkis and Entomologist Vaughn Walton. We donned hardhats and got a sneak peek at the brand-new research winery as it undergoes construction. We were among the first to see the new Smoke, Wine and Grapes Analytical Chemistry Lab led by Facility Manager Cole Cerrato. We solemnly stood in the grape greenhouse, marveling at microvines developed by Geneticist Laurent Deluc using novel gene editing techniques. And we saw the USDA-ARS facilities on the Corvallis campus, including the lab of Research Plant Pathologist Walt Mahaffee. As you can see above, we certainly cast a shadow.

The Thanksgiving holiday is all about bounty…which is to say, it’s all about farming. Research will have touched every item on your holiday plate and in the glass you raise to toast. As we share the bounty of this year’s harvest, let’s remember the shadow of the farmers and researchers who founded the feast.

Happy Thanksgiving!

For the first time, the National Grape Research Alliance is participating in Giving Tuesday, when people around the world use the power of their individual generosity to support their communities and causes they care about. The global event is this Tuesday, December 3, but you don't have to wait till then to give! Whether you’re a grape grower or winemaker, a scientist engaged in grape-related research, or an avid consumer of table grapes, wine, raisins and/or grape juice, your support matters! If giving to charity is part of your holiday tradition, a donation to NGRA helps ensure that high-priority research will sustain our industry into the future. Make your contribution today!

Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act Proposed

On November 18, 2024, US Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) introduced the Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act. The bill includes $39 billion in new resources to “keep farmers farming, families fed and rural communities strong.” According to the press release announcing the bill, “It provides farmers with the certainty of a five-year Farm Bill—so they can plan for the future—and the immediate help they need to manage the urgent needs of the present…and brings the historic investments in climate-smart conservation practices into the Farm Bill.”

As it relates to research, if passed, the bill will…

• Strengthen support for specialty crops by accelerating the development of new technology through dedicated funding and doubling investments in the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program and the Specialty Crop Research Initiative.
• Build the groundwork for an agriculture research moonshot through a historic investment, fostering public-private partnerships through the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR), strengthening USDA’s research programs, uplifting organic research, and investing in land-grant universities, including a significant investment of $2.5 billion to improve research facilities around the country. 
• Bring all climate-smart agriculture funding from the Inflation Reduction Act into the Farm Bill and maintain its focus on addressing the climate crisis, and establish climate hubs to develop local tools and resources. 

See a summary of the bill or read the full text.

The USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) broke ground late last month on a modern new facility called the Agricultural Research and Technology Center that will consolidate labs currently located at UC Davis. The two-story 59,000-square foot building will house four ARS research units: Crops Pathology and Genetics, Invasive Species and Pollinator Health, National Clonal Germplasm Repository - Tree Fruit and Nut Crops and Grapes, and Sustainable Agricultural Water Systems, which also includes the California Climate Hub. Collectively, these units improve the health, sustainability, and profitability of agricultural production and natural resources in California and the Western United States, with an emphasis on grape research.

As usual, there are several familiar NGRA faces among Wine Business Monthly’s Wine Industry Leaders this year. Congratulations to Roger Nabedian, head of the premium wine division, who retired earlier this year after more than 30 years at Gallo, a founding NGRA member-organization and the largest wine producer in the world. Congrats, too, to Stuart Spencer, executive director of the Lodi Winegrape Commission, a long-time NGRA member-organization, representing one of California’s oldest, most productive and most important viticultural areas. And hats off to grape researchers Mason Earles (UC Davis) and Katie Gold (Cornell) who have each been engaged in critical NGRA-initiated research and are both vital assets to the future of grape and wine science. See their stories and those of the more than 50 industry leaders recognized this year!

UC Davis V&E Professors Named Honorary Chairs

Three faculty members in the UC Davis Department of Viticulture and Enology were appointed this month to endowed chairs in support of their research and teaching. Congratulations to Plant Biologist Dario Cantù, the Ray Rossi Endowed Chair; Enology Extension Specialist Anita Oberholster, the Louise Rossi Endowed Chair; and Chemical Engineer Ron Runnebaum, the Stephen Sinclair Scott Endowed Chair in Enology. 

UC Davis Sniffs Out a Sensory Scientist

UC Davis Department of Viticulture and Enology seeks an Assistant Professor of Sensory Science. This tenure-track position has teaching, research, outreach/engagement and service responsibilities, and is expected to establish a competitively funded research program with a focus on the sensory evaluation of wine. Research areas of interest include, but are not limited to, descriptive sensory analysis, consumer studies, and the development of novel methodologies at the intersection of sensory perception and viticulture and enology practices. Read more and apply by January 15, 2025.

Researchers at the Hochschule Geisenheim University and University of Duisburg-Essen in Germany are conducting a study on the acceptance and adoption of cutting-edge technologies in viticulture, with a particular focus on trust in artificial intelligence. They are seeking survey responses from students involved in viticulture studies as well as winegrape growers who have knowledge of and experience with precision farming technologies. If you have 15 to 20 minutes to spare this winter, our German colleagues would welcome your input! Click to the survey.

The Insect Eavesdropper: A Novel Sensor Listens in on Bugs

By Caroline Schneider, University of Wisconsin Madison

Emily Bick is an entomologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She has three degrees in entomology and a background in computer coding. So naturally, she developed a smart sensor to detect bugs. Her Insect Eavesdropper can listen in on an insect gnawing on the root of a plant. And with machine learning on the back end, it can identify what insect it is, estimate how many of them there are and suggest how best to manage the incursion. In this Q&A, Emily explains how the low-cost, above-ground sensor works and how it’s being deployed.

What aspects of insect ecology is your lab studying?

We are trying to better understand fundamental population dynamics of economically damaging insect pests, and how they move and change over space and time. It’s distinct from life cycles, where scientists follow a single individual to see how it changes. We’re taking an almost epidemiological approach to insects and agriculture. To do that, we are developing novel tools and strategies. The end goal is to help decision-makers make better, more sustainable, more precise decisions—to better time and space their pest interventions.

What novel insect sensors are you working to develop?

I was challenged by a group of sugarcane growers in Indonesia to directly measure insects as they attack plants, rather than measure insects as they immigrate into a system and then try to predict when they’ll be a problem. There’s a disconnect between the stages that we tend to observe with insect sensors and the life stage that impacts the plant. So, I started exploring ways that we could look at insects in plants. I ended up on something called a Piezo contact microphone, commonly used to measure the vibrations of walls to listen in on conversations. Here, we use it to eavesdrop on insects.

What can the Insect Eavesdropper detect, exactly?

The hardware is simplistic, but the software and data processing side are much more complex. We first asked the question, could we detect insects? We put large-bodied insects, such as tobacco hornworm, on the leaves of tobacco plants. We also tried Colorado potato beetles. You could hear them crunch. We could, indeed, detect those insects. Then we moved to insects that would be much more a target for a sensor like this. For instance, we tested Northern corn rootworm eggs, and, almost immediately after hatching, we could hear insects feeding on the root zone of plants with a microphone clipped a couple centimeters above the ground.

The next big push was to determine whether we can identify the insects present. Applying machine learning algorithms, we have been able to show that we can, at least in the lab, with upwards of 96% accuracy. The lowest accuracy we saw when trying to tell these species apart from controls was about 80%. But the variety of insects we’d actually be seeing in the field is smaller. At any given seasonal time, entomologists know what species of insects could be present. Each insect species has a distinct circadian rhythm, a time of day that they feed. So, our problem space is much smaller, and it will become easier to separate and identify species. 

My lab also is focused on density questions. Can we estimate how many insects are on the plant? In the lab and in the field, we’ve placed different numbers of insects from zero to as many as we think is likely to be there. We saw some clear correlations between numbers and the rate of chomping. 

At this point, we have been handing these sensors off, trying to figure out their limitations and biases with different research groups at Penn State, Cornell, USDA, Kansas State and more, as well as with companies like Bayer.

Does the Eavesdropper use technology that’s new to the field?

We are definitely standing on the shoulders of giants. In the ’80s, folks put gramophone needles and seismograph needles on plants to sense substrate communication. In the ’90s, they started attaching accelerometers to plants to see how fast they were moving. Later, they put $5,000 laser vibrometer systems in labs to see the same signal vibrations that we’re picking up. The thing that makes the Eavesdropper different is the fact that it’s such a cost-effective system, and that we are putting a ton of effort into the signal processing to differentiate insect species. And we know it works in the field.

How many sensors do you put out, and how long do they have to be there?

The number of sensors will be pest- and question-specific. Companies may want to put sensors on every single plant because every single individual needs to be monitored to look for resistance. If we’re talking about regional monitoring, we can have plots like weather stations with fewer sensors that help growers understand which pests are entering the region and when. As for how long the sensor has to be on the plant, we assumed that we wanted 85% or 90% confidence that we’re catching the insect during its circadian feeding time, if it’s there. Turns out having a sensor on for just 40 seconds gets you 95% accuracy for corn rootworm.

How does your lab share information about pest issues?

Our lab, in collaboration with the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, has developed a text alert system that keeps Wisconsin farmers and crop consultants informed about incoming insect pressure. Anyone can sign up for that. All of these tools help us better understand how and when pest populations affect crops. Then we can better identify management decisions to help growers.

This article is excerpted from the original, posted in the Fall 2024 issue of GROW Magazine, published by the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences at University of Wisconsin Madison. Get the full story here.

Addendum: Emily is working with Cindy Kron, North Coast IPM Advisor with UC Cooperative Extension, to test the Insect Eavesdropper on grape pests. This past summer, they successfully detected the three-cornered alfalfa hopper (vector of red blotch virus). Next year, they plan to test the unit on vine mealybug and other insects of concern. 

Unified Grant Management System

The Unified Grant Management System will be open from December 1, 2024, to January 31, 2025, accepting proposals for research funding from the following grant programs:

• American Vineyard Foundation
• California Grape Rootstock Improvement Commission
• California Grape Rootstock Research Foundation
• CDFA Pierce’s Disease and Glassy-winged Sharpshooter Board
• Oregon Wine Board

Each program has its own request for proposals, so read each carefully and apply to as many as your project is suited. All but CDFA use the same application.

Western SARE Graduate Student Research and Education

This unique grant program involves full-time graduate students enrolled in an accredited university of Western US, their academic advisor and at least one producer implementing projects to address identified needs in sustainable agriculture. Projects must integrate rigorous research and education aiming to advance the three components of sustainable agriculture: environmental, economic and social. It is expected that outcomes of funded projects will result in quantifiable benefits for producers, increase the preservation of the natural and social resources upon which agriculture relies, and be documented in scholarly journals and disseminated throughout educational outreach activities. Apply by December 4, 2024.

Applying for a grant? Request a letter of support!

NGRA is pleased to provide letters of support for research projects that directly address our industry research priorities. Request a letter via our online request form at least two weeks prior to the grant deadline (or any internal deadline you may have). Requests are reviewed and approved by NGRA Research Committee leadership, so processing times may vary.

Is the Northeast Entering Its Wildfire Era?

November 20, 2024 | The New York Times

The Northeast entered 2024 with the wettest weather in more than 40 years, but since June it’s seen the driest conditions in the same period. That’s sparked 860 wildfires across New Jersey (the fastest-warming state in the region), New York and Connecticut, burning thousands of acres this fall. New York City has had more than 270 fires in November alone, the most in the city’s history. In response, city officials announced NYC’s first-ever Brush Fire Task Force. 

Preparing Vines for Winter: Research-Driven Approaches to Cold Hardiness in Vineyards

November 19, 2024 | MSU Extension

Did you know that the trigger for grapevines' dormancy depends on their heritage? For North American grape varieties, it’s the shortening of the days. But European varieties rely more on temperature cues, making them more vulnerable to early fall frost. Here, Michigan State viticulture extension specialist Paolo Sabbatini shares “research-driven approaches” to dormancy, including the phases of cold acclimation, factors affecting cold-hardiness and management best-practices for preparing vines for winter.

Hansen: Winterizing Wine Grapes

November 6, 2024 | Good Fruit Grower

In arid grape-growing regions like Washington State, irrigation is often used as a tool to encourage cold acclimation. For example, growers may reduce watering prior to harvest to reduce shoot growth and induce hardening off for the winter. But WSU’s Markus Keller says there’s no scientific evidence connecting harvest date, pre-harvest water management and vine hardening off. In fact, current “best practices” are based on a misunderstanding of grapevine physiology. He’s leading new research on better understanding of the grapevine dormancy cycle and how growers can prepare vines for it. 

Grapevine Pangenome Facilitates Trait Genetics and Genomic Breeding

November 4, 2024 | Nature Genetics  

Grapevine breeding is hindered by a limited understanding of the genetic basis of complex agronomic traits (e.g., traits that involve more than one gene). But a new pangenome reference called Grapepan v.1.0, constructed by a team of Chinese scientists, will help. It maps 148 quantitative trait loci for 29 agronomic traits from 466 wine and table grape cultivars, including bunch architecture, berry content and size/shape and skin texture.

Searching for Cultivars to Meet Climate Change Challenges

November 1, 2024 | Wine Business Monthly

The Virginia Vineyards Association and USDA’s Agricultural Research Service have created a winegrape breeding program to address the state’s burgeoning wine industry and grape-growing challenges. ARS research geneticist Surya Sapkota leads the effort to understand the grape traits that would be best adapted to the state’s terroir, changing climate and disease threats, then develop new cultivars that bear those traits…and make good wine.

FIRA USA Expo Features Autonomous, Robotic Tech and Equipment for Farms and Vineyards

November 1, 2024 | Wine Business Monthly

At FIRA USA in October, ag tech took center stage. A panel of vineyardists, including NGRA member Eric Pooler (Nuveen Natural Capital), discussed the benefits and risks of being an early adopter of vit tech. “Get(ting) in on the ground floor allows us to steer where the technology goes,” said one panelist. “It doesn't always work out, but when it does you can reap the benefits of that technology ahead of the rest of the market.”

Modern Powdery Mildew Management with Dr. Michelle Moyer

October 29, 2024 | Vineyard Underground Podcast

Tune in as WSU’s Michelle Moyer shares her thoughts on and experience with modern powdery mildew management. She explains that, as an “obligate biotroph,” powdery mildew fungi can only survive on actively growing, living tissue. And it’s really in tune with its host’s stress level. So, when vines are under water or heat stress, disease pressure, etc., powdery mildew doesn’t do well. And aging—another stressor—is a critical limiting factor. That “ontogenic resistance,” she says, means that, as grapevine tissue gets older, powdery mildew can’t infect it anymore.

Workers For Robots 

October 27, 2024 | Cremieux Recueil

In this literature review of studies on automation's effect on jobs, the author (a Substack poster) writes, “Studies agree, labor-saving technology replaces workers! But…it does so by saving costs and potentially increasing productivity, ultimately stimulating the demand for labor. To that end, we should also expect technology to reinstate workers,” an effect he finds in 79 studies. Plus, he says, new technology boosts real incomes. “AI might be able to finally take labor out of the hands of humans,” the author concedes. But we’re not there yet.

Why a $33,000 Wine Made from Rare Grapes Is Polarizing the Wine World

October 27, 2024 | Robb Report

A wine called Liber Pater made in limited quantities from long-forgotten native French varieties that predate the Bordeaux classification, grown ungrafted and farmed in France using a horse and plow sells for $33,000 a bottle. The winemaker says drinking it is like having “dinner with Napoleon” and “time travel in a glass.” It shows the power of a good story…and location.

Vineyard Winterization

October 25, 2024 | Buckeye Appellation Blog

Looking for some guidance—or a refresher—on getting your vineyard ready for winter? Ohio State Viticulture Extension Specialist Maria Smith offers a science-based Q&A, including when to remove grow tubes, whether to apply fungicides post-harvest, when to seed ground cover and how to control fall weeds. She also includes tips on scouting for crown gall, taking soil health samples, applying slow-release fertilizers and more.

In Napa, a Winery Solves a Sustainability Issue in a Most Unusual Way

October 25, 2024 | The Vintner Project

A sustainably farmed Napa winery that needed to move some granite soil found that repurposing it as an amendment in a new vineyard block is yielding surprising results. With the young vines’ roots pushing through such well-drained dirt to find water and nutrients, they seem to be maturing more quickly and the fruit quality seems to be farther along, the winemaker says. The 2024 vintage will see the first wines from the winery’s granite block. 

Champagne Goes Under Cork

October 24, 2024 | Wine-Searcher

Some Champagne producers are replacing the crown caps traditionally used during secondary fermentation with corks. They say the micro-exchange of oxygen that corks allow can result in greater aromatic complexity, creamier texture and a finer mousse with smaller bubbles. But aging under cork increases cost by €2-3 per bottle, not including added labor.

Trichoderma for Managing Drought Stress: A Step Forward in Combating Climate Change

October 22, 2024 | Bragato Research Institute

Grapevines inoculated with Trichoderma exhibited enhanced growth performance under both drought conditions and normal irrigation compared to those without it. The treated vines developed superior root systems, producing more root biomass and maintaining growth with less water, It’s a promising practice for water-scarce regions, potentially allowing vineyards to remain productive despite reduced irrigation.

Arresting Washington’s Most Wanted Wine Grape Pest

October 10, 2024 | Good Fruit Grower

In many Washington own-rooted vineyards now finding phylloxera, the symptoms have likely gone undetected for years. That’s because by the time vines show canopy decline, the root-feeding insect has moved on to other healthy vines nearby. “If I’d known what I was looking for, I could have found it 10 years ago,” says viticulturist Jason Magnaghi at Figgins Estate Vineyard, who hosted a phylloxera scouting workshop for the Washington State Grape Society and WSU.

Pruning Wound Protection: First Line of Defense for Grapevine Trunk Disease Pathogens 

October 2024 | OWRI Vine to Wine Newsletter

The grapevine trunk disease most prevalent in Oregon vineyards is Botryosphaeria dieback. Treating pruning wounds—even when there’s no known incidence—is a must, say Oregon State researchers. But which pruning wound protectants work best for defending against Botryosphaeria in Oregon’s climatic conditions? This team tested organic and conventional options, including BioTam, Topsin, Rally and VitiSeal. Click to read which worked best. (Hint: Usually more than one.)

Non-GMO Genome Editing Approach to Improve Traits Without Inserting Foreign DNA in Grapevine

October 2024 | OWRI Vine to Wine Newsletter

Researchers at Oregon State University have developed a transgene-free gene editing approach, tested in microvines, that can deliver improved plants (e.g., grapevines with traits of interest turned off or on) in less than two years vs. the decades needed to develop new varieties via conventional breeding. Because they contain no foreign DNA, the edited vines are not considered GMOs; and are not regulated under conventional GM regulations. 

New Quiz Available: Test Your Knowledge of the Spotted Lanternfly!

September 26, 2024 | Penn State Extension

Take the new Spotted Lanternfly Quiz from the Penn State Wine and Grape group to test your knowledge, learn new facts and discover strategies to help you manage this threat. The more you know, the better you can protect your vineyard and limit the spread of this destructive pest.

Find these stories and more, published every weekday, on our Facebook and X (Twitter) feeds. You can also find us on LinkedIn. Use #graperesearch to join and grow the conversation!

December 3, 2024

Cornell Lake Erie Regional Grape Program

What Is Your Spray Program?

Virtual event

December 4, 2024

Penn State Extension

Modern Dormant Pruning for Vineyard Health and Productivity

Chadds Ford, PA

December 5, 2024

North Coast Wine Industry Expo

Santa Rosa, CA

January 22, 2025

Washington State Wine Commission

WAVEx Webinar: Smoke Research Update

Virtual event

January 27, 2025

NGRA Annual Meeting & First-of-Year Board Meeting

Sacramento, CA

January 28-30, 2025

Unified Wine & Grape Symposium

Sacramento, CA

January 29, 2025

Winegrape Growers of America Annual Leadership Luncheon 

Includes Rich Smith Award of Excellence Presentation

Sacramento, CA

February 3-4, 2025

Oregon Wine Symposium

Portland, OR

February 10-12, 2025

WineVit

Kennewick, WA

February 11, 2025

Ohio Grape and Wine Conference

Dublin, OH

February 27-28, 2025

USDA’s Agricultural Outlook Forum

Arlington, VA

March 4-5, 2025

B.E.V. NY

Canandaigua, NY

March 25-27, 2025

Eastern Winery Exposition

Lancaster, PA

National Grape Research Alliance

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