Fun with Phenotypes; SLF Scrape; Raisin Marketing

April 2024

Grape germplasm at the Wolfskill Repository*

YOUR PHENOTYPE IS SHOWING

In my seven years (this month) with NGRA, I’ve found that few topics can stop a conversation quicker than genetics. Start talking to people about the ins and outs of marker-assisted grape breeding and watch the curtain fall across their attention span as they mentally check out. But genetic research is critical to the sustainability of the grape and wine industry! So, when I ran across two beautiful explanations this month of genetic concepts, I thought I’d share.

Meg Maker has a way with words. A recent essay in her online publication, Terroir Review, caught my attention with this subhead: “Wine is a constellation of traits fixed and mutable.” She goes on to eloquently explain the distinction between genotype and phenotype as it relates to a wine’s expression.

Reviewing wines, she says, can be like describing a meadow of flowers. In a meadow, “each flower has an essential character, a DNA, and a conditioned character, a personality. In botany those are called genotype and phenotype. The first dictates what the flower can be based on its

genetic coding. The second describes what the flower has become based on its environmental conditions.” (Emphasis is mine.) In describing a wine, she writes, the wine critic must “first describe the ur-wine,” akin to the type of flower that comprises the meadow, “then say how it differs from all wines of its type.”

Genotype is “a recognizable signature,” Meg continues. To a grape breeder, that would be a vine’s genetic coding for the number of chromosomes, the size and shape of its leaves, color of its berries, etc. Phenotype is shaped by the environment and things like vine management and even winemaking. It is “the character (the wine) earns from its life in field and bottle,” Meg

writes. Although her essay is on wine, it applies to grapes—or the ur-grape, as she might say.

The Ask Dr. Universe blog, which answers children’s questions about the natural world, also recently illustrated the concept of phenotype—not by name, but in an explanation of how

plants respond to their environment. “A plant’s roots and shoots know which way to grow because the plant can sense gravity. It responds by growing away from gravity or toward it—called tropism. Plants also sense light, water and touch. They automatically grow toward or away from those things,” writes Dr. Universe (who is a cat in a lab coat).

And in a return to Meg’s meadow, Dr. Universe cites flowers as an example of how plants evolve to adapt to their environment. “Plants haven’t always had flowers,” says Dr. Universe. “Millions of years ago, some plant leaves started growing around the plant’s seeds. That helped those plants survive. They passed on their weird leaves to their baby plants. Eventually, those leaves became flowers.”

In the context of plant breeding, the Dr. Universe example illustrates spontaneous mutations that eventually change a plant’s genotype. Whether using traditional breeding, the hit-or-miss method of crossing the pollen of plants with traits of interest employing genetic markers to guide traditional breeding or even making deletions in DNA via gene editing, breeders seek to make similar genetic changes in plants—changes that could happen in nature—on a much shorter timeline. It’s these types of changes that have given the grape and wine industry innovative and economically important new cold-hardy and disease-resistant varieties. And it’s this type of work in grape genetics that will help us weather the changes climate change will continue to bring.

Armed with this information, feel free to engage future dinner companions in conversations about the value of genetics research to our industry. And if their eyelids start to droop, don’t worry—it’s just their phenotype showing!

Donnell Brown

President

I snapped this photo of a mammoth cluster at the National Clonal Germplasm Repository in Winters, CA (commonly known as the Wolfskill Repository), the first time I visited, my first week on the job. The grapes growing there (and in its sister repository in Geneva, NY, both USDA-ARS facilities) are invaluable assets for grape breeders worldwide. NGRA’s Board of Directors will tour the Wolfskill Repository in May.

AROUND THE INDUSTRY

Support Grape Research!

NGRA’s collaborative approach to finding solutions for the grape and wine industry’s most pressing problems has yielded some $65 million in funded research. Since our founding nearly 20 years ago, supporting NGRA's research mission has been an opportunity reserved for members only. But now, our wider community of friends and fans are invited to help support our work. If you care about advancing and sustaining the industry through scientific research, donate today!

Raisin Marketing Order Under Review

Congressional authority for marketing orders is nearly 100 years old. The law that created marketing orders—the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937—was enacted after the Great Depression to enable agricultural producers to work together to overcome marketing challenges. Marketing orders, which include research and promotion programs , are administered by USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS).

Changes unfolding to the California raisin marketing order now are an example of the ongoing evolution of these federal programs. Formed in 1960, the Raisin Administrative Committee focuses on marketing raisins to 19 countries and funding market research. It’s currently seeking to modify its structure by decreasing its number of members from 47 to 21 with a corresponding change to the number of alternates serving on the RAC. AMS will issue a decision after fully considering all evidence, findings and conclusions, and may conduct a referendum later this year to measure California raisin producers’ support for the changes before issuing a final rule on whether to implement the RAC’s recommendations.

Andrew McElrone Is a Fulbright Scholar

Grape scientist Andrew McElrone has been awarded the prestigious Fulbright Global Scholar award to conduct research in Chile and Australia. A USDA-ARS Research Plant Physiologist and Adjunct Professor of Viticulture and Enology at UC Davis, Andrew has been a principal investigator on the long-running GRAPEX (Grape Remote sensing Atmospheric Profile and Evapotranspiration eXperiment) project. His winning application, titled, “Collaborative Water-Tech Solutions for Drought- and Heat-Stressed Agriculture,” showcases his innovative approach to addressing agricultural challenges.

Winners Announced for 10th Annual California Green Medals

Just in time for California’s “Down to Earth Month” (otherwise known as April), the winners of the California Green Medal Sustainable Winegrowing Leadership Awards were announced. Four green medals are conferred annually, recognizing awardees for their advanced sustainability practices and innovation in both sustainable viticulture and winemaking. This year’s winners are:

Leader Award - LangeTwins Family Winery And Vineyards, Acampo
Environment Award - Gloria Ferrer, Sonoma
Community Award - Cooper-Garrod Vineyards At Garrod Farms, Santa Cruz
Business Award - Vino Farms, LLC, Lodi, CA

NGRA Board member Allison Jordan, Executive Director of the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance (CSWA), notes that the winners’ stories “demonstrate the holistic approach of sustainable winegrowing that conserves natural resources, protects the environment, enhances wine quality, enriches the lives of employees and communities while producing high-quality grapes and wine.”

In addition to CSWA, the California Green Medal is presented by several NGRA member-organizations, including the California Association of Winegrape Growers, Wine Institute, Lodi Winegrape Commission, as well as Napa Valley Vintners, Napa Green, Sonoma County Winegrowers and Vineyard Team.

Auction of Washington Wines Raises $150K for Research

Washington State University wine science faculty, staff, and students joined vintners and other wine industry members in Woodinville, WA, last month to celebrate the eighth Auction of Washington Wines Private Barrel Auction . Since its 2015 inception, the philanthropic event has raised more than $1.2 million for WSU viticulture and enology research initiatives, with this year’s auction bringing in more than $150,000 in additional funding for the university. The lots at auction included a Cabernet Sauvignon made by undergraduates from WSU’s Blended Learning class.

Nominate an Industry Leader for WBM Listing

WineBusiness Monthly is now accepting nominations for its Annual Leaders listing . The listing recognizes “those brave enough to pave a new way forward, inspire generations to come, pioneer a new method, product or technology, start creative businesses and rally behind causes they believe in. From up-and-comers to established members of the industry,” WBM adds, “we’re looking for those that made a difference in the last year or are working to positively shape the industry in the future.” The deadline for nominations is May 17, 2024.

Nominate Scientists for Recognition

Two top-tier scientific awards programs are accepting nominations in May:

The National Science Foundation (NSF) National Medal of Science is the country’s highest recognition for scientists and engineers, bestowed by the President of the United States. It recognizes outstanding contributions in the physical, biological, mathematical, engineering, or social and behavioral sciences. Submit a nomination by May 3, 2024.

Inductees into the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s NIFA Hall of Fame have demonstrated excellence in any combination of research, education and extension on local, regional, national or international levels to solve societal challenges. Nominations are due by May 30, 2024.

RESEARCH FOCUS

Millions of Spotted Lanternflies Scraped Away

On Saturday, April 6, 2024, nearly 400 Loudoun County, VA, residents rose up in defense of their beloved vineyards and wineries to “Scrape for the Grape.” This innovative and fun citizen science initiative unleashed volunteers armed with credit-card-sized Scrape for the Grape scrapers to seek and destroy Spotted Lanternfly egg masses in local vineyards and public spaces and tag Trees of Heaven for removal. Or as they put it, “to help keep Loudoun’s vineyards spotted-less.”

Created by Visit Loudoun in partnership with the Loudoun Invasive Removal Alliance (LIRA), Loudoun County Virginia Cooperative Extension and the Loudoun Wineries & Winegrowers Association, Scrape for the Grape gathered volunteers at 14 locations around the area. There, event organizers educated teams of volunteers on the threat SLF poses to the local wine and greater agritourism industries, showed them how to identify both SLF egg masses and Tree of Heaven, its preferred and protective host. “Spotted lanternfly feeding from Tree of Heaven’s sap makes it unpalatable to predators, so no natural enemies will feed on it,” said Beth Sastre, commercial horticulturist with Virginia Cooperative Extension Loudoun.

Organizers equipped participants with branded scrapers (though some volunteers opted for their own ice scrapers) and bandanas, then sent them on the hunt.

Over the course of the four-hour event, “the volunteers removed 16,798 egg masses, most likely totaling around 590,000 individual eggs,” said Andrew (Drew) Harner, Assistant Professor of Viticulture and Extension Specialist with Virginia Tech and Virginia Cooperative Extension. Following the bugs through their prolific reproductive lifecycle, it’s estimated that those eggs would’ve yielded 1 million or more adult SLF.

“Coupled with the volunteers’ identification of 147 Trees of Heaven that’ll also be removed, these efforts are a tremendous service to the local winegrape community,” Drew added.

To show appreciation for their efforts, 14 wineries as well as Bear Chase Brewery offered special discounts, complimentary pours and other incentives for volunteers who came in with their branded Scrape for the Grape bandanas. Local bakery Mom’s Apple Pie also provided a free cookie to participating children.

“I can't think of a more impactful awareness event than what Scrape for the Grape accomplished this weekend,” President of LIRA Mike Littman said. “It was a great example of (the community) coming together for the greater good while educating residents on the growing threat of invasives to our economy, health and safety, and environment.”

“I was amazed at the community outpouring that came to help save our vineyards from spotted lanternflies,” Bluemont Vineyard Winemaker Scott Spelbring said. “Though it was cloudy and cold, our volunteers were complete rockstars. Seeing the sea of volunteers in red bandanas across the vineyards was heartwarming.”

This year is the 40th anniversary of the Loudoun wine industry, known as DC’s Wine Country®.

Loudoun leads the state with more than 50 wineries and 850-plus acres under

vine producing 2,300 tons of 25-plus varieties of grapes annually.

Update: Inspired by the success of the first Scrape, a follow-up event was held on Sunday, April 14, 2024, at Bluemont Vineyard. Volunteers there removed an additional 17,622 egg masses. Assuming 35 eggs per mass, that translates to approximately 616,770 more eggs destroyed, doubling the Scrape the Grape total to a whopping 2 million spotted lanternflies eliminated.

This story was compiled from two press releases published by Visit Loudon, both viewable here. It also was informed by news stories like this one.

Funding Opportunities

Foundational Research in Robotics

This new grant program is offered by the National Science Foundation in collaboration with USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) to advance foundational research in agricultural robotics. It supports research to create innovative robots with unprecedented new functionality. Potential proposers are encouraged to supply a letter of intent to determine project applicability for this program.

Equipment Grant Program

This USDA-NIFA program strengthens the quality and expands the scope of fundamental and applied research at the food and agricultural sciences programs at universities and Cooperative Extension systems by enabling them to acquire a major piece of equipment that supports research, training and extension goals. Deadline to apply is May 3, 2024.

Research Facilities Act Program

This NIFA program assists qualifying institutions with the costs related to constructing, purchasing, updating, renovating or modifying agricultural research buildings to conduct research in the areas of agriculture and food sciences. The proposed agricultural research facility must expand the institution’s capacity for long-term impactful research and be the result of thorough strategic planning. Deadline to apply is May 13, 2024.

Agricultural Genome to Phenome Initiative

The intent of the AG2PI program, also from NIFA, is to support integration of diverse disciplines that can effectively harness the power of phenomics, genomics, engineering, genetic diversity and data science to improve production, sustainability and climate resiliency of crop (and also livestock) species. Deadline to apply is May 30, 2024.

Agriculture and Food Research Initiative - Sustainable Agricultural Systems

This USDA-NIFA grant program seeks to sustainably increase US food and agricultural production in the context of diminishing land and water resources, changing climate and increasing frequency of extreme weather events, threats of outbreaks of diseases and pests, and challenges to human health and wellbeing. Solutions to these challenges will optimize agricultural productivity; ensure safe, affordable and nutritious supply of food; invigorate and realize the promise of the bioeconomy; and promote the development of a talented agricultural workforce. Deadline to apply is June 6, 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.

IN THE NEWS

Grüner Veltliner White Wine Could Be the Toast of Pennsylvania, Study Suggests

April 22, 2024 | Penn State

A new study by Penn State researchers suggests that Pennsylvania’s signature grape could be grüner veltliner. First planted in PA around 2003, the variety has been field-trialed to determine its suitability for production there, and the Mid-Atlantic consumers surveyed as part of this research showed strong interest in trying it. An association with the grape “could increase tourism and be used in marketing to highlight local cuisine and history,” said lead author Kathy Kelley.

Minimizing Soil Erosion: Keeping a Valuable Asset in Your Vineyard

April 22, 2024 | Lodi Wine Growers

Why worry about soil erosion? As viticulturist Stan Grant explains, “The soil nearest the surface is usually the most structured, permeable, microbial-active, and fertile part of a vineyard root zone. And it took many years for it to become so. Therefore, discernable surface soil erosion represents a reduction of root zone function with long-term implications.”

E-Tongue Can Detect White Wine Spoilage Before Humans Can

April 17, 2024 | WSU Insider

A new e-tongue developed by scientists at the WSU Sensory Science Center has shown it can identify signs of microorganisms that lead to spoilage in white wine within a week after contamination. That’s four weeks before a human panel picked up on the change in aroma, and also earlier than those microbes could be grown from the wine in a petri-dish—the two methods typically used to spot faults.

Vine Planting & Site Prep with Randy Heinzen

April 16, 2024 | Vineyard Underground Podcast

In this podcast, NGRA Board member Randy Heinzen, owner of Vineyard Professional Services, explains the ins and outs of establishing a vineyard, including site selection, vineyard setup, partnering with nurseries and more. But it all starts with soil sampling. Even if the site has supported vineyards before, he says, it’s important to understand what compost or amendments will be needed, but also how the water-holding capacity may differ across the site. If there are no clues about prior land use, though, it’s critical to look at the chemical composition of the soil with an eye toward things—salts, boron, magnesium—that will exclude grape-growing there.

Study Finds Benefit in Clustering Organics

April 10, 2024 | AgAlert

New research suggests that organic farms can further reduce their pesticide use when clustered with other organic farms. But when organic acreage is interspersed among conventionally farmed fields, overall area-wide pesticide use can actually increase.

Tenth Consecutive Monthly Heat Record Alarms and Confounds Climate Scientists

April 8, 2024 | The Guardian

March 2024 was the 10th consecutive month to break global temperature records, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service. The sharp increase in temperatures over the past year has surprised many scientists, and prompted concerns about a possible acceleration of heating. A NASA scientist says that “if the anomaly does not stabilize by August, then the world will be in uncharted territory.”

Climate Change & Wine: A Global Map of Changing Wine Regions

April 3, 2024 | Beverage Daily

Climate change could create dramatic shifts in where wine is produced, making vineyards unsustainable in some regions, but opening up new opportunities in others. Researchers have mapped how the global distribution of vineyards is likely to change. For example, 90% of coastal and lowland wine regions of Spain, Italy, Greece and southern California could be at risk of disappearing by the end of the century.

Can We Engineer Our Way Out of the Climate Crisis?

March 31, 2024 | The New York Times

An enormous vacuum in Iceland is sucking up air, stripping out carbon dioxide and locking it away deep underground. Researchers are designing giant parasols in space to block solar radiation and testing whether adding iron to the ocean can carry carbon dioxide to the sea floor. These are just a few of the big-ticket technologies aimed at re-engineering the natural world. Are they effective…and safe?

Managing Frost Threats in the Vineyard

March 26, 2024 | Good Fruit Grower

With climate variability on the rise, so is the risk of spring frost. “Choosing the right site and starting with the right cultivars on that site is paramount,” Penn State’s Cain Hickey told growers at the Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable and Farm Market EXPO in Michigan in December. “You’re off to a great start toward having good frost protection if you start there.” Cain also covered active freeze mitigation strategies like wind machines that modify the vineyard microclimate during a freeze event and passive strategies like vineyard management practices that reduce risk over time.

Scientists Harness Robots and AI to Revolutionize Farming

March 26, 2024 | New York Farm Bureau

Cornell AgriTech’s Yu Jiang is “us(ing) robots, AI and intelligent decision-making as a fundamentally new way of farming.” The “microscope imaging robots” he developed are accelerating advances in the genetics of disease resistance by automating phenotyping disease progression six times faster than it would take a human. And his lab’s autonomous agricultural robots “can perform jobs like precision pruning, harvesting, spraying and weeding much faster and with far better accuracy than manual labor.” “It’s no longer about manual labor,” he says. “We can develop robotic assistants and data-driven practices that help farmers be more efficient, profitable, and environmentally sustainable.”

How Climate Change Could Affect the Microbes That Ferment Grapes and Give Wine Its Specific Flavors

March 25, 2024 | The Conversation

Research from New Zealand suggests that climate change could impact the wild yeast and other microbes that drive fermentation and wine flavor profiles. Microbial differences between two vintages (2018 and 2021) of Pinot Noir were striking. Researchers found 12 of 16 bacteria present in one vintage but not the other, and six of 12 fungi and yeast species fluctuating between the two.

Protoplast-Mediated Gene Editing for Disease Resistance

March 22, 2024 | PD/GWSS Board

Watch this brief video by UC Davis’ David Tricoli, explaining research funded by CDFA’s PD/GWSS Board on non-transgenic gene editing for disease resistance. David and the team have developed a CRISPR-based technique that enables edits to be made in grapevine cells using enzymes delivered via guide RNA. They’re applying this method to target susceptibility genes, and the disease they’re using for this proof of concept project is powdery mildew. They’ve successfully created new vines with knocked-out susceptibility genes and are testing them for increased resistance to powdery mildew.

UW and Partners Launch New Project Connecting Sea to Soil for Climate Resilience

March 20, 2024 | Farms.com

A new project, called “Blue Carbon, Green Fields: Mobilizing Marine Algae to Benefit Sea and Soil in the Pacific Northwest,” pilots a modernized and up-scaled approach to the age-old practice of harvesting seaweed from aquatic systems and applying it to farmland, where it can replenish soil carbon. This novel sea-to-soil carbon sequestration initiative, led by University of Washington, could aid in mitigating climate change.

Oregon State Researchers Take Deep Dive into How Much Water Is Stored in Snow

March 18, 2024 | Oregon State University

Research led by Oregon State’s College of Engineering delivered a new metric called “snow water storage” for understanding how much water is stored in snowpack. The cumulative calculation helps gauge how much water is in snowpacks over time, and reveals just how critical important mountain snowpack is to U.S. supply. It shows that, of all the water stored in the form of snow in the nation’s lower 48 states, an estimated 72% of it is in the mountains, which cover only 16% of the total area.

Extension Research Educates Producers on Leaf Removal in Oregon Vineyards

March 2024 | OSU Extension Service

Oregon State viticulture extension specialist Patty Skinkis did 10 years of research showing that leaf removal, whether single- or double-sided, prevents powdery mildew and botrytis. But in response to hotter growing seasons of late, many winemakers in Oregon had dropped the practice to shade their fruit. With a blind-tasting of three leaf-pulled-or-not Chardonnay, Patty changed more than 70% of their minds.

Greenhouse Evaluation of Rootstocks Against the Northern Root-Knot Nematode

March 2024 | American Journal of Enology and Viticulture

Rootstocks are not widely used in Washington State. But a study by researchers there shows that non-vinifera rootstocks may be a boon to growers fighting northern root-knot nematode.

Smart Vineyard Concepts to Reality in Washington State

Spring 2024 | WSU Viticulture and Enology Extension News

At the WSU Smart Vineyard, ag engineers are encountering—and addressing—common challenges of implementing and integrating technology. Read their solutions to connecting technologies from different providers, avoiding damage to equipment in the vineyard and transforming data from sensors into actionable information. (Story starts on p. 7.)

Impact of Cluster Thinning on Wine Grape Yield and Fruit Composition: A Review and Meta-Analysis

January 24, 2024 | Australian Journal of Grape and Wine Research

This literature review of the “yield-fruit composition tradeoff” for cluster thinning found that the timing (e.g., bloom, lag phase, etc.) of the practice has little influence on fruit composition (TSS and pH). However, the severity of thinning improves fruit composition when done at moderate severity (e.g., 36–55%). The findings could give vineyard managers greater flexibility in timing cluster thinning while also providing an optimal range.

Best Practices for Monitoring Visual Symptoms of Grapevine Red Blotch Disease in Black-Fruited Winegrape Cultivars

November 2023 | American Journal for Enology and Viticulture

Removing infected vines is the best way to decrease inoculum and mitigate losses from grapevine red blotch disease (GRBD). But it’s not always easy to spot symptoms or even know when to look for them. This study from UC Cooperative Extension agents is the first to quantify the progressive, within-season increase in GRBD incidence from veraison to leaf fall. “Our objective,” they write, “was to describe the nuances in symptom development through space and time that can limit visual symptom recognition and effective management of GRBD.”

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