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Advancing research to maximize the productivity, sustainability and competitiveness
of the American grape industries.
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Thompson Seedless grapes on their way to becoming Sun-Maid raisins
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I was in the lush, green state of Missouri (a big departure from dry, brown California) earlier this month for the
North American Grape Breeders Conference. A grassroots effort of the breeding community, the conference takes place every two years at a different host institution--Missouri State University did the honors this year. It was a terrific mix of legendary leaders, current innovators and rising stars in academia and industry, all sharing inspiration and ideas for grapevine improvement. We tasted wine from a new, as-yet unnamed white winegrape from the MSU breeding program; learned about grafting as a means of influencing traits; explored the resistance to vine mealybug across rootstocks and cultivars; celebrated advances toward making muscadines "inside fruit" (seedlessness has been achieved!) and more.
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As part of the conference, attendees toured the research blocks at MSU and the vineyards of St. James Winery, where harvest was just days away. With its empty, gleaming tanks and sparkling, eat-off-the-floor winery, the production facility at St. James was alive with anticipation for the grapes to come. I imagine the scene at St. James is a little less...tidy, now that harvest has begun there.
Harvest is happening in most American grapegrowing regions. Indeed, it came as an "emergency" for at least one winegrower in Kansas. (See third item, In the News, below.) And it
concluded more than a month ago for our table grape colleagues in Southern California. But no matter where you are in the cycle, harvest is a season all its own. It's a time for community and camaraderie, when the "real work" of grapegrowing takes place.
Whether you're in a lab, making crosses; on the phone, scheduling crews or in the field, carrying a lug of ripe and ready fruit, here's to a beautiful, bountiful harvest season!
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TOP SCIENTISTS BRING SENSORS INTO FOCUS
NGRA is partnering with the USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) to get an objective, science-based perspective on the state of sensors. Together, we created the
NGRA-ARS Sensor Technology Workshop
where 28 of the top publicly funded scientists working in the sensor space will present their work developing sensor technologies for vine water status, canopy and irrigation management, and pests and diseases. They'll share the strengths and shortcomings of these technologies, and together with attendees, explore the gaps in the tech and advances yet to come. The day-long agenda also includes discussion of the data integration and modeling applications that translate sensor outputs into information growers can use to apply the tech to vineyard management. A grower panel will present their experiences using sensors, reporting on their successes and reflecting on what they've learned. The event will take place November 13 in Sacramento. Only 200 tickets are available.
Get yours now!
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HARVEST 2019 EXTENSION RESOURCES
Cornell and Ohio State Universities are just two of the institutions offering harvest-time publications in support of local growers. With Harvest 2019 upon us, they're gearing up!
- Cornell's weekly Veraison to Harvest newsletter covers Lake Erie, Long Island, the Hudson Valley and the Finger Lakes. Berry sampling will begin on September 5, and the first issue is planned for the following day.
- Ohio State monitors fruit maturity progression of varieties grown at the OSU research vineyards during and posts data weekly on Buckeye Appellation. The first sample/issue for 2019 was August 20.
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CONGRATS TO SAM FILLER AND THE NYWGF
Congratulations to the New York Wine & Grape Foundation's Sam Filler (Executive Director and member of the NGRA Board of Directors) and Paul Brady (Brand Ambassador) for being among
Wine Enthusiast Magazine's 40 under 40 Tastemakers of 2019! The list recognizes young winemakers, brewers, beverage directors, grape growers and other movers and shakers who are changing today's beverage industry. Evidence of this can be seen in the
Foundation's BOLD new branding.
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ASEV ELECTS NEW PRESIDENT, BOARD MEMBERS
Kristen
Barnhisel, white-wine winemaker at NGRA member J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines, has been confirmed as ASEV's 2019-2020 Board President. She leads a 12-member board:
- Patty Skinkis, Oregon State University, Corvallis - First Vice President
- Tom Collins, Washington State University, Tri-Cities - Second Vice President
- Merilark Padgett-Johnson, Santa Rosa Junior College - Secretary/Treasurer
- Markus Keller, Washington State University, Prosser - AJEV Science Editor
- James Harbertson, Washington State University, Tri-Cities - Technical Program Director
- Tory Arvik, Sonomaceuticals/WholeVine Products, California - Director
- Anna Katharine Mansfield, Cornell University, New York - Director
- Michelle Moyer, Washington State University, Prosser - Director
- Anita Oberholster, University, California, Davis - Director
- James Osborne, Oregon State University, Corvallis - Director
- Keith Streigler, E. & J. Gallo Winery, California - Director (an NGRA Board member)
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APHIS ISSUES FIRST-EVER IMPACT REPORT
The USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) this month issued its first-ever Impact Report. This easy-to-read document highlights key outcomes of the agency's work in 2018 by the numbers. In the area of Plant Protection and Quarantine (the APHIS program nearest and dearest to grape growers), the data points include:
- Conducted 466 pest surveys in 50 states and 3 territories, detecting 14 new or re-introduced species--all of which were found before they caused significant damage
- Found 130,493 pests during U.S. Customs and Border Protection inspections and prevented those of concern from entering the country
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NIFA'S 2018 ANNUAL REPORT NOW ONLINE
The USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) also published this month its 2018 Annual Report. It provides an overview of the work undertaken by NIFA-funded grantees in the areas of research, education and extension, through grant programs like the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) and the Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI). AFRI, NIFA's flagship funding program, granted $400 million for 686 projects in 2018. SCRI, which is mandated via the Farm Bill, expended $51.4 million last year. The NGRA-support
VitisGen2 project and PI Dr. Bruce Reisch make a cameo on page 23.
Read the
full NIFA 2018 Annual Report.
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HOUSE AG COMMITTEE RANKING MEMBER TO RETIRE
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WINE INDUSTRY TASK FORCE TACKLES SMOKE EXPOSURE
In late July, leaders from the California Association of Winegrape Growers, Oregon Winegrowers Association and Washington Winegrowers convened the inaugural meeting of the
West Coast Smoke Exposure Task Force
to address the commercial issues that arise when winegrape vineyards are exposed to wildfire smoke. Among its priorities, the task force will work to identify the research needed to better understand the effects of smoke exposure on winegrapes and wine quality. Said NGRA Board member Vicky Scharlau of Washington Winegrowers, "Wildfire is a no-warning event that impacts the entire grape-to-wine process, making smoke a shared risk between grower and vintner. This task force is a welcome structure that allows our formidable industry to proactively address this silent foe with science and communication."
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ARS SEEKS RESEARCH LEADER FOR NEW WATER UNIT
The USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS), Pacific West Area is seeking a permanent, full-time Research Leader for its new Sustainable Agricultural Water Systems Research Unit (SAWSRU) in Davis, CA. The unit's mission is to make greater use of existing and alternative water sources, both for irrigation and for recharging depleted aquifers. Its research program will implement a systems approach directed across different regions and scales, from genetic modifications to cropping practices to basin-wide water management. The goal will be to sustainably intensify agroecosystem development that reduces economic risks and increases farm profitability, improves soil quality and productivity, and reduces the effects of short-term droughts. SAWSRU operates in partnership with and on the campus of the University of California-Davis. Grape will be one of the first model systems (along with strawberry and tree nuts) the unit will focus on. The Research Leader will provide programmatic and administrative leadership for the new unit, and conduct independent research, as well. The official announcement will soon be posted on USAJOBS.gov; search
Position Number 001PF589. In the meantime, interested applicants may
email Dr. Hao Tran
, Associate Area Director, Pacific West Area, for more info.
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PUBLIC TRUST IN SCIENCE RISES
Researchers, rejoice! A new poll from the Pew Research Center shows that 86% of Americans say they have at least "a fair amount" of confidence in scientists to act in the public interest, up from 78% in 2016.
Perhaps the most promising step scientists have taken is to enter the public arena and talk about their science, says Max Boykoff, director of the Center for Science and Technology Policy Research at the University of Colorado Boulder.
(Hello, Extension!)
More early career scientists are engaging with the public about their work and making it accessible to non-scientists.
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KEEPING EXTENSION ALIVE
By John Aguirre, President - California Association of Winegrape Growers
During my nine years with the
California Association of Winegrape Growers
(CAWG) and on the Board of Directors of the National Grape Research Alliance, I have been consistently impressed by the dedication and knowledge of extension specialists and farm advisors. Throughout the year, I see them at industry seminars and conferences explaining recent scientific advances as a way to solve real-world problems for growers. They write articles for industry publications and participate on numerous industry committees and task forces, where they eagerly share their expertise and research outcomes, and often they can be found in vineyards and wineries, working alongside growers and winemakers to improve their quality, efficiency and competitiveness. Many growers have shared with me how an extension advisor has helped them overcome a specific challenge in their vineyards.
Unfortunately, a long, slow decline in state and federal funding is eroding the effectiveness of our system of cooperative agricultural extension. In California, cooperative extension operates under the umbrella of the University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR). The UC ANR is home to 175 University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) advisors, based in county offices, and 115 specialists based on campuses, principally Berkeley, Davis and Riverside.
Shrinking public investment in higher education and agricultural research has produced a moratorium on hiring new UCCE advisors and specialists, and is hindering research and extension activities in California. And I suspect that California is not alone.
In fact,
the federal government's support for agricultural research funding represents less than 2% of its total investment in R&D
, compared to the 40% it was in 1940. By comparison, China invests nearly twice as much as the US in agricultural science, while U.S. investments barely keep pace with inflation.
A recent report from the USDA's Economic Research Service
shows that governments in high-income countries (the United States, European countries, Israel, Japan, South Korea, Canada, Australia and New Zealand) are spending less on agricultural research. According to the report, these countries' combined public ag R&D spending grew from $3.9 billion in 1960 to a peak of $18.6 billion in 2009, before declining to $17.5 billion by 2013. America continues to outspend other countries, but our share of spending among high income countries
declined from 35% in 1960 to less than 25% by 2013.
If the trend continues, the costs to agriculture--and the grape and wine industry--could be significant.
Economists have long recognized the tremendous public benefits--economic, social and environmental--associated with investments in agricultural research. Julian Alston, Ph.D., an agriculture economist at UC Davis, prepared an issue brief for CAWG, describing the public benefits of agricultural research spending. He notes, that U.S. agriculture productivity increased by nearly three-fold from 1949 to 2007. This increased productivity means agricultural output (crop and livestock products) was three times greater, while requiring fewer inputs (labor, capital, land and inputs such fertilizer and water). Absent that increased productivity, farmers would have required 78% more inputs, valued at $219.6 billion, to achieve the same output in 2007. That $219.6 billion in savings on inputs recurs annually, so the benefits are enormous.
Much of this growth in American agricultural productivity and production was attributable to innovations enabled by investments in agricultural research and development (R&D). According to Alston et al. (2010), the public part of U.S. investments in agricultural R&D yields benefit-cost ratios exceeding 20:1--i.e., $1 million spent on U.S. public agricultural R&D would deliver future benefits worth more than $20 million, even after discounting back to present value terms.
The bottom line, as stated by Alston, is that investments in research and extension have "enabled improved production practices in vineyards and wineries to enable growers and winemakers to more precisely and more profitably manage inputs and product quality, and in doing so to save resources and provide consumers with a better product at a lower cost."
Our industry must unite and advocate for greater funding for our cooperative extension programs and the invaluable extension agents who work hard to ensure that research reaches growers. They are vital to our state agricultural economies and to the growth and advancement of our industry.
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Also...
SCRI PROPOSALS DUE EARLY, ON OCTOBER 15
The
Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI)
addresses the critical needs of the specialty crop industry by awarding grants to support research and extension that address key challenges of national, regional and multi-state importance in sustaining all components of food and agriculture, including conventional and organic food production systems. Projects must address at least one of the five SCRI focus areas, listed in the Request for Applications (RFA).
The application deadline is earlier than usual this year: October 15, 2019.
See the complete RFA
.
NSF CYBER-PHYSICAL SYSTEMS PROPOSALS DUE IN SEPTEMBER
The window for proposals for the National Science Foundation's Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) grant program is September 12-26, 2019.
The CPS program seeks to reveal cross-cutting, fundamental scientific and engineering principles that underpin the integration of cyber and physical elements across all application domains. The program additionally supports the development of methods, tools, and hardware and software components based upon these cross-cutting principles, along with validation of the principles via prototypes and testbeds. Learn more and apply.
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August 24, 2019 | Physics World
In 2014 California introduced the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) into state law to help manage the conflict between ground and surface water. But updating legal structures to accommodate evolving scientific knowledge involves far more than simply rewriting statutes, researchers say.
August 24, 2019 | The New York Times
Farmer/author Mas Masumoto and his family grow heirloom peaches and a small crop of organic grapes for raisins in the Central Valley. This story beautifully captures their challenges--and solutions--to the changes in the local climate and farm labor. Among them, ripping out unproductive vines and reducing the height of their peach trees so they're easier for women (a more available labor source) to harvest.
August 22, 2019 | KSN-TV
Some Chardonel in Kansas couldn't wait to be picked. "With the kind of uneven weather this year, we've had some (grapes) that have ripened a little slower than usual, some that have ripened a little faster than usual, and we've been having to deal with a little more rot than usual because it's been so moist," said Jeff Sollo of Grace Hill Winery, which called for an emergency harvest. "It's been a trying year for sure," Sollo said.
August 16, 2019 | San Francisco Chronicle
Cabernet Sauvignon accounts for 65% of the grapes grown in Napa Valley, where last year's crop reached a record $1 billion in gross value. But Napa's no. 1 grape is under threat. As the Napa wine industry continues to confront rising temps, increasingly frequent wildfires, intermittent drought and erratic weather, a growing contingent of vintners is becoming more vocal about the need to address climate change head-on
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August 10, 2019 | Western Farm Press
The recent "Maximizing the Efficiency of Full Canopy Airblast Spraying" field day organized by NGRA member-organization the Lodi Winegrape Commission featured insight on the newest technologies and some low-tech tips from University of California Cooperative Extension Farm Advisers Lynn Wunderlich and Franz Niederholzer.
August 7, 2019 | WSU
Washington State University Professor Pete Jacoby has invented a subsurface irrigation system that could be game-changing for arid grape-growing regions like Washington. Called Direct Root-Zone irrigation, it feeds water down vertically via tubes buried up to 4 feet into the root-zone. "Our system used 35 percent less water," Dr. Jacoby says, "and that number is conservative."
August 6, 2019 | Science Mag
Spraying neonicotinoids to control mealybugs can kill beneficial insects, too--but not just from direct exposure to the insecticide. A new study suggests that mealybugs' contaminated honeydew can devastate more insects across the food web because it's more abundant, especially in agricultural fields.
August 5, 2019
| VitisGen2 Blog
Scientists on the
VitisGen2 project and at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have been working to employ machine learning to evaluate photos of leaves for the presence of powdery mildew. By training a neural network to determine whether images show infections--and if so, how severe--the project can move more quickly to identify new areas of the genome involved in powdery mildew resistance.
August 1, 2019 | DW
The United Nations predicts that viticulture in the Northern Hemisphere might move up to 111 miles farther north than where grapes grow now. This story features a photo gallery of the 12 northernmost winegrowing regions of the world, including Iceland and Siberia.
July 31, 2019 | Los Angeles Times
A new crop is springing up across California farmland: solar panels. Some 13,000 acres of solar farms dot the San Joaquin Valley, says the The Nature Conservancy. Its new report, "Power of Place," calls for converting farmland to solar farms to help meet the state's climate change targets.
July 30, 2019 | MDPI
Scientists in Australia have proposed two new models for non-invasive, in-field detection system for smoke contamination in grapevine canopies. One uses infrared thermal image analysis to detect changes in stomatal conductance patterns. The other uses near-infrared spectroscopy to quantify levels of smoke-taint related compounds in berries and wines. Both are powered by machine learning and have high levels of accuracy.
July 30, 2019 | Wine Science
Scientists at The AWRI investigated the DNA of 15 popular Chardonnay clones, finding that small mutations in their genetic coding elicit small differences in the vines' properties and the quality of grapes they produce. They also found that, thanks to inbreeding, the Chardonnay family tree is both simpler and more complicated than previously known.
July 30, 2019 | Euro News
Researchers at Harvard Medical School found that resveratrol, a compound found in grape skins and wine can help preserve muscle function in the reduced gravity conditions on Mars. (Astronauts, don't get too excited. Even if approved for space travel, "There is not nearly enough RSV in food [or wine] to provide this dose so we would rely on dietary supplements," says one researcher. So no Malbec on Mars...yet.)
July 22, 2019 | Washington State University
Research by Manoj Karkee at the WSU Center for Precision & Automated Agricultural Systems indicates that aerial drones could help Washington growers save as much as $80 million a year in crop damage caused by birds.
July 20, 2019 | Growing Produce
At the Department of Viticulture and Enology at UC Davis vineyard water management seminar held in May to commemorate the career of recently retired Professor Larry Williams, scientists including Dr. Williams himself addressed some of growers' most pressing questions on irrigation management.
July 19, 2019 | National Science Foundation
Researchers funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) have developed a computer model that can ID severe storms more quickly and accurately. Based on machine learning linear classifiers (a kind of AI), it can detect rotational movements in clouds that previously might have otherwise gone unnoticed.
July 19, 2019 | KUOW
In a unique job-skills program, inmates at the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla will soon be growing grapes. They'll be prepping the first acre this fall and planting it in the spring, learning all the skills necessary to manage a vineyard. Cue the Johnny Cash soundtrack...
July 16, 2019 | California PD/GWSS Board
A new "vaccine" may soon be available for Pierce's disease. UC Berkeley's Dr. Steven Lindow has identified the bacterium Paraburkholderia phytofirmans as a biocontrol agent that can colonize a grapevine and trigger an immune response, protecting the vine from both P. phytofirmans and Xylella fastidiosa, the pathogen that causes PD. The work is funded by the California Department of Food and Agriculture's Pierce's Disease/Glassy-winged Sharpshooter Board.
July 10, 2019 | Western Farm Press
A team of scientists led by UC Davis is seeking to crack the case on mystery vine collapse, which has been identified in vineyards throughout the San Joaquin Valley. The leaves turn brown and the vine withers in short order and dies. "It is one of the more potent grapevine diseases and we need to learn more," says lead researcher Dr. Akif Eskalen.
July 2, 2019 | Decanter
As France considers registration of newly developed disease-resistant varieties, Bordeaux and Bordeaux Supérieur are working to approve seven "new" varieties to combat the effects of climate change. France's national appellation authority, INAO, must give final approval.
July 2019 | Union of Concerned Scientists
This online tool shows the stark increases in extreme heat that have and/or are projected to occur across the US over three time periods: historical, mid-century and late century. Put in your location, but beware: the results may be chilling--or, actually, just the opposite.
June 2019 | Washington State Wine
Grape mealybug is a known vector of grapevine leafroll associated viruses, but how good is it at transmitting the virus? With funding from the Washington State Wine Commission, Dr. Doug Walsh, an entomologist at the Washington State University Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center, found that a single leafroll-infected mealybug crawler can transmit virus to uninfected grapevines 10-20% of the time.
January 2018 | American Journal of Enology and Viticulture
At the American Society for Enology and Viticulture national conference last month, Best Viticulture Paper recipient Paul Schreiner of USDA-ARS presented his work. He found that growers can reduce nitrogen to limit vigor without suffering a loss in yield, although in doing so, must YAN values will decline. But given some sensory impacts, that may not be a bad thing.
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November 14, 2019
NGRA End-of-Year Board Meeting
Sacramento, CA
November 26-28, 2019
SITEVI
Montpelier, France
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