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June 24, 2020 | Western Farm Press
With a $500K grant from CDFA, Mark Hoddle of the UC Riverside Center for Invasive Species Research is rolling out a proactive biocontrol program to evaluate natural enemies of the spotted lanternfly, starting with a tiny Chinese parasite wasp.
June 22, 2020 | UC Riverside
UC Riverside has won a $10M grant to develop AI to increase the environmental and economic stability of the Colorado River Basin and Salinas River Valley, an agriculturally significant area threatened by prolonged drought, soil degradation and salinity, and other impacts of climate change. In addition to AI tools, the project seeks to develop a new multistate cooperative extension program for growers and a fellowship to educate future ag leaders.
June 15, 2020 | The Gray Report
In light of recent events, here's some inspiration for corporate culture from NGRA member E. & J. Gallo Winery and its Gallo African American Network. As The Gray Report says in his preface to this interview, "Businesses can learn a lot from Gallo."
June 15, 2020 | Wine Spectator
Scientifically speaking, grapes and wine can help reduce the risk of developing dementia, especially when consumed as part of a varied diet of healthy foods.
June 11, 2020 | The Daily Progress
Montifalco Vineyard, Reynard Florence Vineyard and others along Virginia's Monticello Wine Trail lost primary buds in overwhelming numbers from frigid temps over Mother's Day weekend. Here, growers share their observations about what the cold snap will mean for their vines, both this growing season and next.
June 10, 2020 | Western Farm Press
The University of California's first-ever institute for organic research and education has opened its doors. As part of UC Agriculture & Natural Resources, in collaboration with CLIF Bar, the California Organic Institute's charge is to develop and adopt effective tools and practices for organic farmers. It will focus on rice, tree fruits, tree nuts and raisins--commodities representing California's Central Valley.
June 10, 2020 | Cornell CALS
A newly funded project led by Cornell AgriTech's Dr. Kaitlin (Katie) Gold focuses on "Advancing (Grape) Downy Mildew Resistance Management for New York Grape Growers." Responding to GDM's emerging resistance to carboxylic acid amide fungicides, the project will employ hyperspectral sensors (Katie's area of expertise) to gauge the pathogen's CAA sensitivity. "Ultimately, sensors could make finding resistant downy mildew a whole lot easier for growers," she said.
June 10, 2020 | Western Farm Press
Although "it's a period of low-to-no growth where berries are kind of green and hard," says Larry Bettiga, UCCE Monterey, lag phase is "a chemical switching period where the berries get signals to begin their next phase of development." Many use lag phase to begin making critical yield estimates for the season.
June 9, 2020 | Frontiers in Plant Science
Girdling is used primarily for table grapes to improve berry weight, sugar content and color and to promote early harvest. But a team of UC Davis scientists (and one from Brazil) has shown that the practice can improve berry color and other phenolics in Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, too.
June 9, 2020 | Nature Communications
Wow! This research led by UC Davis significantly advances the understanding of the genetic basis of sex determination in Vitis and provides the information necessary to rapidly identify sex types in grape breeding programs.
June 8, 2020 | The Revelator
New research shows a permanent dryness expanding across the US--much more than "drought." Scientists hope more accurate language will spur critical action.
June 5, 2020 | Vitisphere
Two of the grape varieties resistant to fungal diseases (downy and powdery mildew) developed by the late French researcher Alain Bouquet have been listed in the Official Catalogue of Species and Varieties of Plants Grown in France. Registration of Rebelia (red) and Recybel (white), shown here, mark the successful completion of the Fijus project, whose aim is to obtain varieties specific to grape juice production. Registration for a third Bouquet variety, Reclia, is expected in 2021.
June 5, 2020 | Wine Business Monthly
On June 3, Penn State's Heather Leach gave an in-depth web-based presentation on the spotted lanternfly, the first of four webinars on invasive pests put on by ASEV. She shared research to date and management recommendations, and noted that the USDA last year awarded a $7.3M grant to support a 37-member project to learn more about this destructive pest.
June 4, 2020 | Michigan State University
In an excellent example of citizen science, MSU Regrow Milkweed for Monarchs: A Citizen Science Study has attracted interest from laypeople across seven states to keep this important pollinators project alive--and thriving--during the pandemic.
June 3, 2020 | U.S. Right to Know
A federal court overturned the EPA's approval of dicamba-based herbicides, saying the agency "substantially understated the risks" of their use. The ruling makes it effectively illegal for farmers to continue to use the product.
June 2, 2020 | Growing Produce
The University of Arkansas' Elena Garcia planted table grape selections from the U of A fruit breeding program in high tunnels to see if they would help the vines survive the state's hot, humid summers and high fungal and insect pressure. It worked...almost too well. The vines grew so vigorously they produced 45 kilograms of fruit per vine!
May 29, 2020 | VitiCulture Data Journal
Growing Blanc du Bois? New research led by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service shows that its vigor and semi-drooping growth habit make it well-suited for horizontally divided canopy training systems.
May 27, 2020 | Western Farm Press
UC Berkeley's Kent Daane is leading a project in which 1,000 acres of vineyards in Lodi and the Central Coast will be equipped with pheromone disruption tools to combat vine mealybug on an area-wide basis. "My initial hypothesis is we probably don't yet know enough about the movement and spread of the problem in vines that might be infected, but don't appear as symptomatic for a couple of years," Dr. Daane said. "There are a lot of aspects of this disease epidemiology that are going to surprise us and it will be exciting to come up with programs that will help in future control."
May 19, 2020 | Good Fruit Growers
As grapevine red blotch, leafroll virus and new pests become more prevalent and oversupply gives the industry time to pause, Washington wine growers may be entering a new era of virus testing. Several experts cited here encourage testing early and often--even on "clean" planting stock--to combat the often fast-moving spread of infection.
May 6, 2020 | Texas A&M University Engineering
Researchers at Texas A&M University have created antioxidant mats made from ultra-fine strands of a polymer and tannic acid, found in red wine, that can serve to prevent oxidation and spoilage. "Polyphenols are known for their antioxidant properties," said one author of the study. "Tannic acid is replete with polyphenols, which makes it a great scavenger of free radicals." Applications for the mats range from bandages for wound healing to container linings for food storage.
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