August 2024

Fielding questions in the field*

I did a radio interview with the Pacific Northwest Ag Network recently, where I talked about NGRA’s community-building ethic. I told host Glenn Vaagen that a vital part of our research mission is to “build a sense of community around people who believe in science as a means of advancing the industry.” Among the joys of my job, I said, are gathering NGRA members and stakeholders at meetings and events, introducing scientists who may have similar research interests but have never met and, yes, sharing research news via this monthly newsletter. These are the ways we put our arms around industry stakeholders, and academic and government representatives, building bridges and bonds among them so we can solve grape and wine industry problems together.

I sometimes worry that these kinds of statements sound like marketing fluff—too nice, too Pollyanna to be true. But it’s honestly the better part of my job. We all know that collective action is more powerful than going it alone. We’ve all experienced brainstorming exercises that yield much richer and more robust ideas than you could’ve thought of on your own. We’ve undoubtedly had the joy and relief of finally connecting with someone who can help open a door that previously stood closed. There’s no better way to achieve our research needs than by raising a tent and inviting others to join us inside.

That’s why I’m a fixture at so many industry and academic conferences, and why I make the time for things like the production tour the NGRA-supported VitisGen3 project arranged for its scientific collaborators this month in California’s San Joaquin Valley. (See photo above.) The majority of our members have been with us since the beginning, before we were NGRA, or NGWI (the National Grape and Wine Initiative) or the Winegrower’s Critical Research Investment Initiative. They tell me it’s because of our strong sense of community. People matter.

NGRA is the only national-level organization that represents the research needs of all sectors of the grape and wine industry—wine, juice, table grapes and raisins—nationwide. Behind that statement, there are thousands of people who make a difference on whether and how we meet our collective challenges. If you’re a member of NGRA (or would like to be), thank you—your contributions make the work possible. If you’ve ever made a donation to NGRA (or want to make one now), you help move the needle on how fast and far we can go. If you’re an academic or government scientist or administrator, we know that research isn’t possible without you. You are our community.

And there’s always more room under the tent.

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!

Oxbo, a leader in specialty harvesting and controlled application equipment, was so proud to have been selected to join the inaugural class of NGRA affiliate members, they issued a press release about it! NGRA created this new level of membership earlier this year and is offering opportunities to select service and equipment providers (a.k.a. industry affiliates) to join us, by invitation only. NGRA Board members thoughtfully choose trusted companies known for their research orientation, high integrity and strong reputation for excellence to become affiliate members. No more than a dozen affiliate members will be brought aboard in 2024. Learn more about NGRA affiliate membership.

Alcuin C. Wiederkehr died on August 2, 2024. He was 89. Al retired as chief executive officer and Board chair of Wiederkehr Wine Cellars in 2018 after more than six decades. He founded Wiederkehr Village, where the winery is based, with a group of neighbors with the aim of preserving the Swiss heritage of the area settled by his grandparents and served many terms as mayor from 1975 through 2018.

A longtime NGRA Board member, Al had a true passion for the wine and tourism industries and had strong involvement in state and national legislation for these industries in Arkansas, the mid-South and nationwide. Among other accomplishments, he was instrumental in securing authorization from the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department in 1972 for an exit on Interstate 40 for the then-emerging wine region in and around Altus, AR. Read Al’s complete obituary.

Donald A. Luvisi, UC Cooperative Extension viticulture advisor emeritus of Kern County, CA, passed away in Bakersfield, CA, on July 10, 2024, at the age of 87. Born in 1936 and raised on a vineyard in Calistoga, CA, Don served as the Kern County viticulture farm advisor from 1960 until his retirement 39 years later in 1999. He was widely recognized as a pioneer of the modern-day California table grape industry and his research influenced a significant expansion in the production of varieties such as Flame Seedless, Redglobe and Crimson Seedless. The industry also saw improvements in fruit quality associated with his work with gibberellin, ethephon and girdling.

A testament to his commitment to education and community, Don established the Don and Mickie (his wife) Luvisi Family Agriculture Scholarship at his alma mater, Calistoga Junior/Senior High School. This scholarship will continue to inspire and support future generations of agricultural enthusiasts. Read more about Don’s career and legacy.

FPS Has a New Director of Production and Quality Assurance

Ejay Dehal is the new Director of Production and Quality Assurance for Foundation Plant Services (FPS). Having worked in operational management and quality assurance roles at Sierra Gold Nurseries, Conception Nurseries and Sunsweet Growers, Ejay brings decades of industry experience to FPS’s targeted improvements in quality management. The FPS collection has grown significantly, and the team is managing more plants than ever. To ensure that the organization can continue to deliver high quality, virus tested true-to-type propagative material, it has strengthened its database tools and plant inventory tracking technology. Ejay will help ensure that these tools are employed in daily operations.

Bragato Research Institute Welcomes a New CEO

Juliet Ansell, the new CEO of New Zealand’s Bragato Research Institute (BRI), started in her new role in July. Dr. Ansell joins BRI from Zespri International where she was the Head of Core and Resilience Innovation. She has lived and worked as a scientist in the UK, Tanzania, The Gambia, and Australia and has been an elected member of the Executive Council of AgriTechNZ. BRI Board Chair Mark Gilbert says, “Juliet is a skilled science leader, bringing a wealth of experience in research and innovation to lead BRI in its next phase of accelerating research and innovation for the New Zealand wine industry.”

Effective July 19, 2024, the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) will allow table grapes to be imported from parts of Chile under a systems approach vs. the longstanding mandatory treatment of methyl bromide fumigation. Importers may continue to use methyl bromide fumigation, though it is no longer required. They also may use irradiation to treat for pests in shipments. The new rule applies to three grape-growing areas in Chile where European grapevine moth is reported to be absent or in low prevalence and where the Chilean false red mite also is present. View the complete final notice outlining the rule and APHIS’s responses to public comments.

The West Coast Smoke Exposure Task Force (WCSETF) this month launched a new website. It aggregates smoke exposure resources to help growers, winemakers and industry service providers learn about new research findings, leverage best practices and make informed decisions when wildfires strike. It features frequently asked questions, how-to videos, news and events, and information on labs, contracts, crop insurance, wildfire preparedness and more. “Instead of having to search multiple websites for information, the industry can now use the WCSETF website as a convenient, go-to resource,” said Natalie Collins, Chair of the WCSETF Steering Committee, President of the California Association of Winegrape Growers and an NGRA Board member. “The site is a work in progress and will continue to be updated with additional content.” The website is supported by a grant from USDA-ARS through the Washington Wine Industry Foundation, an NGRA member-organization. Visit it at wcsetf.org.

CDFA Is Working to Define ‘Regenerative Ag’

In its advisory role to the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), the California State Board of Food and Agriculture last year undertook a process to define “regenerative agriculture,” due to rising interest in related practices. Its goal is to provide science-based criteria for the state’s agriculture-related policies and programs, seeking to “formalize holistic methods of farming that are designed to protect, sustain and enhance natural resources on our farms and farming communities throughout California,” the State Board writes.

A Regenerative Agriculture Work Group compiled a first draft definition last month. In September, integrating input from listening sessions and public comment, the State Board will begin work on a final recommended definition of regenerative ag.

New York Is a Model for Michigan Sustainability Initiative

The Michigan Wine Collaborative (MWC) has teamed up with the New York Wine and Grape Foundation, Cornell Cooperative Extension and the New York Department of Agriculture to launch a new sustainability initiative tailored to Michigan winegrowers. MWC’s Sustainability Chair Sidney Finan notes that the organization chose New York’s VineBalance Sustainable Viticulture program as a model due to its embrace of cool climate grape-growing. The MWC is adapting the VineBalance workbook for use in Michigan vineyards. A statewide rollout of the new Michigan sustainability program is in the works.

In parallel, Michigan State University (MSU) is launching a Sustainable Agriculture Management (SAM) tool to further empower Michigan growers with decision support. Developed by Karen Chou and her team at MSU, the SAM tool features a computer-based program and mobile app. With comparative data on risk, efficacy and weather conditions, and easy access to pest scouting information, the SAM tool will work in tandem with the VineBalance workbook to help growers make informed decisions that balance cost, effectiveness and the environmental impact of sustainable practices.

Grape Research Grants Announced

The USDA this month announced the recipients of the 2024 Specialty Crop Block Grant and Specialty Crop Multi-State Grant programs. Funded by the 2018 Farm Bill, these grants are administered by USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service in coordination with state Departments of Agriculture. The 2024 awards total $82.3 million.

Through the Specialty Crop Block Grant (SCBG) program, USDA awarded $72.9 million to 54 states and territories. View all of the 2024 funded SCBG projects. Thirty-seven projects directly support grape and wine research, education or marketing. States whose grape-related projects received SCBG funding include Arizona (4 projects), California (3), Idaho (2), Iowa (3), Kansas (1), Maryland (1), Missouri (5), Minnesota (2), Montana (1), Nebraska (2), Nevada (1), New Jersey (1), New York (1), North Carolina (1), Tennessee (1), Texas (1), Utah (1), Washington (3) and Wisconsin (3). Additionally, 11 Specialty Crop Multi-State Grant projects received a total of $9.4 million; none target grape.

The California Grape Rootstock Improvement Commission also announced its 2024 grant recipients this month. Five new research projects were funded to enhance and support California viticulture and nurseries.

Help Guide Research for the Wine Industry

On behalf of the American Vineyard Foundation (AVF), NGRA encourages you to participate in the 2024 AVF Research Priority Survey. An NGRA member-organization, AVF is a nonprofit funding agency that relies on voluntary contributions to support research in viticulture and enology. It invests more than $1 million annually to address the most important challenges facing wine grape growers and vintners. Click to take the survey and help guide AVF’s efforts!

EPA Considers Delisting Mancozeb for Use in Grape

By Katie Gold, Cornell Grape Pathology

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed to cancel the use of mancozeb, a multi-site fungicide commonly used to control Phomopsis, downy mildew and black rot, in grape due to potential post-application worker exposure hazards. The public comment period on this proposed interim registration review decision (PID) closes on September 16, 2024. If this change concerns you, you’re encouraged to click to submit comments to the EPA. (See more about comments below.)

Cornell Grape Pathology is conducting a survey to better understand grape grower habits around the activities EPA cites as risk factors in its decision. All US grape growers are encouraged to weigh in on the survey by September 6, 2024.

Why is the EPA re-registering mancozeb?

The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) is the Federal statute that governs the registration, distribution, sale and use of pesticides in the United States. Recently the EPA announced its intention to come into compliance with the endangered species act, which has led to a FIFRA re-registration review of many multi-site fungicides, including ziram, thiram, febram, captan and now mancozeb.

Why grape but not other fruit crops?

The EPA is proposing to cancel mancozeb in grape because of potential post-application worker health hazards. There are specific activities in grapevine production that yield post-application hazards above the EPA’s acceptable threshold after a single mancozeb application (at maximum single application rate of 3.2 lb AI/acre). They include tying/training, hand-harvesting and leaf-pulling up to 45 days, and girdling and turning-up for 72 days post application. The EPA has decided that imposing a restricted-entry interval (REI) of such length would preclude the use of mancozeb because it would impede growers’ ability to conduct other production activities. A lower single application rate (e.g., 2.5lb AI/acre) would still result in risks that could not be addressed with a feasible REI. Other orchard crops do not conduct these activities and are thus able to accommodate the mitigation practices (4-day REI and ban on hand-thinning) the EPA deems necessary to sufficiently reduce post-application worker health hazards from mancozeb.

How did the EPA come to this decision?

The EPA is by mandate required to do a cost-benefit “BEAD” analysis. The Biological and Economic Analysis Division (BEAD) methodology for mancozeb involves assessing the benefits of its use at the acre level and reflecting how growers make pest control decisions. This analysis includes reviewing mancozeb usage data, identifying use patterns, target pests and the attributes that make it valuable for pest control. BEAD also evaluates the biological and economic impacts of using alternative pest control strategies if mancozeb were unavailable, considering factors like cost, resistance management, and crop yield or quality. The methodology relies on data from university extension services, USDA, grower surveys, public comments and professional knowledge, with pesticide usage data provided by sources like Kynetec USA Inc.

Does the EPA understand the impacts of banning mancozeb in grape?

In its BEAD analysis, the EPA cites the following anticipated impacts: “With the loss of mancozeb in grape production, BEAD anticipates that at a minimum, grape growers east of the Rocky Mountains will experience an increased cost of pest control as growers will need to integrate more single-site fungicides. The growers would have to rely primarily on captan to control Phomopsis disease and downy mildew and single-site fungicides (e.g., myclobutanil) for effective control of black rot increasing the risk of resistance. Further, single-site fungicides are generally more expensive than mancozeb (Kynetec, 2021a), resulting in additional costs of fungicide treatment.”

What happens now?

The EPA is accepting public comment on its proposed interim decision until September 16, 2024. If you wish to contribute a comment to the EPA, you can type it in online or upload a formatted letter* here.

And if mancozeb is delisted…

What other products are available to control phomopsis, downy mildew and black rot in lieu of mancozeb? Dave Combs, a research support specialist in the Grape Sensing, Pathology and Extension lab at Cornell AgriTech, published this guide to what grape disease management will look like in a post-broad-spectrum world earlier this year. 

Dr. Kaitlin (Katie) Gold is an Assistant Professor of Grape Pathology at Cornell University. She holds the primary research and extension responsibilities for grape disease management for New York State and leads the Grape Sensing, Pathology and Extension lab at Cornell AgriTech (GrapeSPEC). This article is an excerpt of Katie’s longer piece; read it here.

*Editor’s note: For inspiration on what to write in your own formal comments to the EPA, consider this sample letter. (Click and a Word file will download.) There’s also more guidance in the full text of Katie’s article. See also this excellent report from The Ohio State University Extension Fruit Pathologist Melanie Lewis Ivey.

California Specialty Crop Block Grants

The California Department of Food and Agriculture is accepting proposals for 2025 Specialty Crop Block Grant (SCBG) project funding. Grant awards will range from $100,000 to $500,000 per project; projects may last for up to two years and eight months. Non-profit and for-profit organizations; local, state, federal, and Tribal governments; and public and private colleges and universities are eligible to apply. Concept proposals must be submitted electronically using the Financial Assistance Application Submittal Tool by September 9, 2024.

CDFA also seeks volunteers with knowledge and expertise on California specialty crops to serve on its Technical Review Committee. The committee reviews, evaluates and makes recommendations to CDFA on SCBG proposals. Applications are due by September 11, 2024.

New Technologies for Ag Extension

The New Technologies for Ag Extension (NTAE) grant program is offered by USDA-NIFA in partnership with the University of New Hampshire, and supported by the Extension Foundation (EXF). All land-grant universities are welcome to apply for funding for projects and program teams aligned with USDA and Extension Committee on Organization and Policy (ECOP) strategic goals/priority program areas. Depending on the type of project, teams may receive funding of up to $100K. Regardless of membership in the EXF, these grants provide services to NTAE awardees, such as support from EXF catalysts, coaches and key informants, that create deeper impact and greater sustainability for their projects. Apply by September 21, 2024.

Washington Specialty Crop Block Grants

The Washington State Department of Agriculture also is accepting SCBG proposals, due by October 15, 2024. In 2025, grant awards will range from $25,000 to $250,000 per project and projects may last up to three years.

NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program

The Graduate Research Fellowship Program is a National Science Foundation-wide program that provides fellowships to individuals selected early in their graduate careers based on their demonstrated potential for significant research achievements in science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) or STEM education. Three years of support over a five-year period are provided for graduate study that leads to a research-based master’s or doctoral degree. The deadline to apply is October 15-18, 2024, depending on your field of study.

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.

Smoke Taint Revolution: Carbon Fabric to Become Vineyard-Wide Netting

August 26, 2024 | Wine Industry Advisor

Kerry Wilkinson at the University of Adelaide is developing activated carbon netting to protect vineyards from wildfire smoke. The concept began with activated carbon fabric bags that, when placed over grape clusters, “blocked up to 98% of smoke compounds (from infiltrating berries), even under dense smoke exposure treatments,” she said. Transitioning from bags to whole-vineyard netting would be less labor-intensive. It would let sunlight in, and serve as both a physical barrier and an absorbent layer, capturing smoke compounds before they reach grape skins.

Ag Researchers Learning How to Teach a Robot

August 22, 2024 | Good Fruit Grower

Terry Bates, Director of the Cornell Lake Erie Research and Extension Laboratory in Portland, NY, says most grape growers in his region are mechanically pre-pruning their vines, then making a second more precise pruning pass by hand. But ideally, a pruning machine could do the whole job autonomously, with the ability to make thoughtful pruning decisions—and cuts—in real time. Terry and fellow researchers from Carnegie Mellon University are working on a robotic pruner that does just that.

From Space to Farm: Readying NASA Satellites to Help Growers

August 22, 2024 | Cornell Chronicle

This month, Cornell AgriTech researchers hosted NASA Earth Science leaders on a three-day “Space for Ag Tour” designed to improve the use of the agency’s Earth-observing technology to support specialty crops agriculture and, in particular, viticulture. They demonstrated how, among other things, the Cornell-developed “PhytoPatholoBot” disease-sensing robot could be used to help ground-truth NASA satellite data that could one day detect plant diseases from space.

The Dramatic Shift in the World of Wine

August 17, 2024 | CBS News

Although most bottles in the US are imported from European countries, a domestic shift has emerging wine regions like Texas and New Jersey (featured in this segment) growing in size and prestige. “It has to do with growing the right grapes in the right climate,” says wine writer Jason Wilson. As regions work to figure out what varieties work best, “Everything is in an experimental stage.” AZ, MI, VA and NY are also mentioned.

Wine Minute: The Importance Of Communication

August 16, 2024 | Pacific Northwest Ag Network

In this short segment, NGRA President Donnell Brown says a vital part of the organization’s mission is to “build a sense of community around people who believe in science as a means of advancing the industry.” From bringing together members at meetings and events, to making introductions to scientists who may have similar research interests but had never met, to sharing research news with stakeholders via its monthly newsletter, NGRA emulates the importance of communication in connecting people who “believe in the long game” research represents.

The Biochar Handbook – How to Make it and Use it in Your Vineyard

August 15, 2024 | Sustainable Winegrowing with Vineyard Team Podcast

Wildfires are incredibly destructive, yet they produce a byproduct known to improve soil and plant health: biochar. In this podcast, Kelpie Wilson (Wilson Biochar Associates) says that biochar is defined as a “special charcoal” that can be used in soil or for carbon sequestration. She explains the stages of combustion, what types of organic material can be burned for biochar, and how to incorporate it into compost and amend alkaline or acetic soils.

Wine Grape Grower Perceptions and Attitudes About Soil Health

August 10, 2024 | Journal of Rural Studies

A team of UC Davis soil scientists interviewed grapegrowers about how they define and manage soil health. “Most growers described healthy vineyard soils as balanced, biodiverse, self-sustaining, resilient systems that provide nutrient and water cycling functions and support high-quality wine grape production,” the researchers found. A main barrier to adopting and maintaining soil health practices is the lack of information on how they influence grape production—and yield economic benefits.

BRIght Ideas: Tuning Vine Potential

August 9, 2024 | New Zealand Winegrower

A molecular biologist at New Zealand’s Bragato Research Institute says that RNA technology could be a gamechanger in vineyards. “By changing the levels of RNA in an organism, we can make functional changes in a way that is temporary and doesn’t result in changes to the DNA,” she explains. It’s conceivable, for example, that a grower facing a drought year could use an RNA-based spray to improve vines’ resilience to water stress. “That’s a really key part of what we are interested in,” she says. “It’s a response that is highly specific and transient, so you can adapt to the environmental conditions you are facing that year, and work with the existing vines and their genetic material.”

As Wildfires Rage Across Wine Country, the West Coast Smoke Exposure Task Force Aims to Help

August 8, 2024 | Wine Enthusiast

The West Coast Smoke Exposure Task Force was founded five years ago, joining industry (including NGRA member-organizations California Association of Winegrape Growers, Washington Winegrowers and Washington Wine Commission), government and university scientists to study wildfire smoke’s impact on grapes, then publicize that intel asap. Their work will help producers better prepare for the effects of extreme weather at all points in the winemaking process. Read about their findings so far and solutions they’re pursuing.

Next-Gen Viticulture: The Future of Intelligent Farming in the Wine Industry

August 6, 2024 | Wine Industry Network

An organic grape grower in South Australia says, “The risks of not using AI are far greater than embracing it.” His adoption of AI has focused on enhancing vineyard management, focusing on prevention rather than cure. Remarkably, the vineyard has not used herbicides or pesticides—organic or otherwise—for 18 years.

UC Powdery Mildew Field Day Reveals Fungicide Trial Results, High PM Pressure for Interior California

July 29, 2024 | Wine Business Monthly

Akif Eskalen and his plant pathology lab at UC Davis held their annual grape powdery mildew field day on July 19 to share results of their 2024 fungicide field trial, educating growers on what’s new and what combinations of materials provide best PM control. Sixty-one synthetic, biological and organic fungicides were trialed this year. By applying IPM and cultural practices, such as leaf removal, and using the UC Davis Powdery Mildew Risk Assessment Index, growers may be able to reduce the number of spray applications during the season, Akif said.

A Radical New Vineyard Shape for a Warming Climate

July 25, 2024 | SevenFifty Daily

From radial vineyards to dual-variety trellises, grape growers are trying new approaches to vineyard design to protect grapes from hotter temperatures. “With the Sundial vineyard,” an experimental plot of Cabernet Sauvignon organized in a wagon-wheel configuration at Viña Don Melchor in Chile, “we are aiming to find out how the microclimate for vines can be changed by row orientation and density,” says the winery’s CEO and technical director. “We’ve seen differences of one to two degrees in the grapes from row to row throughout the season. This information will change how we approach vineyard management well into the future.”

Know Your Costs To Grow

July 23, 2024 | Good Fruit Grower

Washington State University ag economists Karina Gallardo and Suzette Galinato have created a 14-minute video tutorial to step agricultural producers through how to use the enterprise budgets they’ve developed. Enterprise budgets are spreadsheets comparing costs versus revenue for fictional, but representative, agricultural enterprises. The new video shows users how to plug in true numbers for an eye-opening analysis of their actual operations. Find the spreadsheet and video here: https://ses.wsu.edu/enterprise_budgets/.

The Challenges in Tractor Electrification

July 19, 2024 | Farms.com

Unlike cars, electric tractors operate under intense conditions that drain battery life quickly. Emerging solid-state and silicon anode batteries offer high energy density and good recharge capabilities, but are still under development and are more costly than traditional batteries. Even with significant savings on fuel, their high price may not yet justify their use in tractors.

Secrets of the Soil: Can a New Regenerative Viticulture Study Reveal How Cultural Practices Affect Soil Microbial Behavior?

July 10, 2024 | Wine Business Monthly

A five-year study led by UC Davis soil scientist Cristina Lazcano seeks to better understand the response of soil microbial life to combinations of regenerative viticulture practices in vineyards from Oregon to Santa Barbara, CA. It’s examining multiple practices, including cover cropping, no till, alternate till, compost and sheep grazing, in six combinations. We’re going to be able to see the responses to these treatments across soil types and climates, Cristina said. Initial findings show correlations between carbon cycling indicators and microbial diversity.

Top 5 Takeaways from the 2024 Sustainability Summit

July 3, 2024 | Grape and Wine Magazine

At a Sustainability Summit last spring, experts shared recommendations on how to cultivate resilience with consumers, government and nature. The top five tips were to leverage sustainability to boost wine’s appeal, share specifics about sustainable practices, encourage biodiversity, improve soil health (especially via worms) and be ready to respond to more heat events and pest pressure.

Response of Riesling Grapes and Wine to Temporally and Spatially Heterogeneous Soil Water Availability

July 2024 | American Journal of Enology and Viticulture

Most research on regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) and partial rootzone drying (PRD) has focused on red winegrapes. A team of WSU scientists studied the effects of these irrigation strategies in Riesling, finding that both RDI and PRD conserved water but reduced yield. Neither affected fruit composition but did make notable differences in wine volatile profiles. This was lead author Geraldine Diverres’ first publication—congratulations!

The Dirt-y Solution to Climate Change

June 24, 2024 | UC Davis Robert Mondavi Institute

The panelists in this “Savor” lecture produced by the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science on June 18 discussed regenerative agriculture as a solution to issues related to climate change. As moderator and UC Davis professor Cristina Lazcano explains, “We think about the status quo as being an extractive way of producing food. Sustainable approaches try to minimize impact, sort of like a neutral effect. Regenerative goes a step further. It doesn't only look for minimizing negative impacts. It wants to enhance the functioning of the agricultural system, so we can rely more on (their) internal regulation and reduce inputs of agrochemicals.”

Identifying Downy and Powdery Mildew Resistance in the Clones Produced in the Sauvignon Blanc 2.0 Program Using High-Throughput Phenotyping

June 5, 2024 | Bragato Research Institute

Researchers at the Bragato Research Institute are collaborating with Lance Cadle-Davidson and Anna Underhill of the USDA Agricultural Research Service on a project that’s critical to the sustainability of NZ’s number-one wine variety. The Sauvignon Blanc 2.0 Program seeks to identify Sauvignon Blanc clones that are resistant to powdery and downy mildew by screening more than 10K clones multiple times across various physiological growth stages. The task would’ve been unthinkable not long ago, but the Blackbird, a high-throughput phenotyping robot developed at the ARS Grape Genetics Research Unit in Geneva, NY, enabled them to complete a pilot study with ease.

Big Data Comes to Dinner: From Seed to Plate, Artificial Intelligence Is Transforming How and What We Eat

April 29, 2024 | UC Davis

AI is plugging into every aspect of farming and food production, including for grapes. As Ilias Tagkopoulos, director of the university’s Artificial Intelligence Institute for Next Generation Food Systems, explains, from guiding the development of new varieties adaptable to a changing climate, to efficiently nurturing crops to higher, better yields, and screening produce for postharvest quality, AI can help support human decision-making in complex farming systems.

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!

September 9, 2024

USDA-NIFA

Leveraging Extension and University Engagement: Developing and Implementing Novel Projects Using Transdisciplinary Approaches

Virtual event

September 12, 2024

ASEV-ES Hang Time Webinar

What’s New in Rootstock Breeding

Virtual event

September 14, 2024

USDA-ARS Apple, Grape and Tart Cherry Germplasm Collection Tour

Geneva, NY

October 8-9, 2024

Texas Wine & Grape Growers Association’s Grape Camp 2024

Lubbock, TX

October 10, 2024

ASEV-ES Hang Time Webinar

Trellis Design and Pruning Choice: Cane vs. Spur

Virtual event

October 19-20, 2024

Whole Vine Festival

Fresno, CA

October 22-24, 2024

FIRA USA

Woodland, CA

November 7, 2024

NGRA Year-End Board Meeting

Corvallis, OR

November 11-13, 2024

Sustainable Ag Expo

San Luis Obispo, CA

November 14, 2024

ASEV-ES Hang Time Webinar

Research Update: Frost Protection Products and Technologies

Virtual event

November 18-20, 2024

Northwest Center for Small Fruits Research Conference

Boise, ID

National Grape Research Alliance

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