Sustainable Winegrowing

Dr. Marc Fuchs researches the biology and ecology of the Grapevine Red Blotch associated Virus. His work investigates the transmission and spread of the virus, its possible vectors, how the virus affects vines, and optimal management strategies. References: A Long and Winding Road: The Discovery of the Red Leaf A Long and Winding Road: The Discovery of the Red Leaf Viruses, the Leaf Rolls and Red...

The California Department of Food and Agriculture appropriated funds to develop and administer a new incentive and demonstration program from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. The objective of this new Healthy Soils Program is to build soil carbon and reduce agricultural greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. References: CDFA's Healthy Soils Program CalCAN COMET-Planner- GHG reduction and carbon sequest...

NDVI imagery is analyzed by software which tells the grower where to go in the vineyard to take samples that will best represent the ripeness of the crop. This method could save tremendous amounts of time and generates much smaller samples for processing. References: Video of Dr. Vanden Heuvel explaining the project Justine Vanden Heuvel's web page Listen to the latest science and research with th...

Sour rot is a disease complex composed of various yeast, fungi, and bacteria that ferment grape juice released from wounded berries. Megan Hall has demonstrated that the symptoms of sour rot will only develop when fruit flies ( Drosophila spp.) are present. Spraying antimicrobial materials with an insecticide weekly from 15° Brix until harvest has shown success at stopping the advance of sour rot....

A look at the history of Pierce's Disease and what is being done today to manage this pest in the Temecula Valley. Matt Daugherty is Cooperative Extension Specialist, Department of Entomology, UC Riverside where he studies applied population ecology and provides outreach on the ecology and management of invasive insects. Dr. Daugherty gives some history and context for the glassy-winged sharpshoot...

Greg Pennyroyal, Vineyard Manager at Wilson Creek Winery and Vineyards in Temecula, California, discusses the appearance of vine mealybug in the Temecula Valley AVA, Integrated Pest Management (IPM) techniques, and how growers, academics, extensionists, and students came together to collectively monitor and manage this pest. References: San Jacinto College Vine Mealy Bug Video Sustainable and Orga...

Farming organically has many benefits, but growing winegrapes organically has special challenges. Hear how Julian Malone, Director of Vineyard Operations at Sea Smoke Vineyards uses organic pest management practices in the vineyards. References: Sea Smoke Vineyards Mechanical Cultivation Video- Steel in the Field UC Statewide IPM Weed Management in Organic Vineyards Listen to the latest science an...

Doug Beck, Science Advisor for Monterey Pacific Inc. in Monterey County, talks about the different types of technology including dendrometers, multi-spectral imaging, ArcGIS, Time-Domain Reflectrometry, iPhones, and more. References: California Irrigation: Verizon, ITK Team Up with 3 Vineyards for Affordable Solution Ceres CropTrak Monterey Pacific, Inc. Ranch Systems Terravion Tule Technologies V...

Greg Gonzalez, Director of Vineyard Operations at Scheid Vineyards, discusses the ins and outs of sustainability practices including economic investment in the community, resource conservation, and pesticide reduction. References: What is Sustainable Agriculture? Scheid Vineyards Chispa Housing SIP Certified- sustainable winegrowing Listen to the latest science and research with the Sustainable Wi...

Integrated Pest Management means many things to many people. In this excerpt from the 2016 Sustainable Ag Expo , Dr. Pete Goodell reviews the status of IPM in California, the barriers to increasing its use, discusses concepts and perceptions, and makes the case that IPM is a critical tool to address multiple issues facing our sustainable food production system. References: UC Statewide Integrated...

Weeds can compete with young vines and are hosts for some vineyard pests. Grant Cremers describes how he controls weeds through a combination of under-vine cultivation and herbicides at San Bernabe Vineyards. Topics include herbicide resistant weeds, reasons to avoid pre-emergent herbicides, cover crops for weed suppression, and the benefits of controlling weeds mechanically. References: Cover cro...

Dr. Timothy Miles discusses the prevalence of powdery mildew populations found to be resistant to FRAC group 11 fungicides. He then describes his work on finding the genes associated with resistance to FRAC group 11 fungicides and developing new molecular tools to identify fungicide resistant powdery mildew populations. References: Detection of Fungicide Resistant Mildew | Timothy Miles Inoculum M...

Conservationists Margy Lindquist with USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service and Devon Best with Upper Salinas Las Tablas Resource Conservation District, discuss the importance of and the process of creating a conservation plan. Conservation plans are a tool for land owners to identify opportunities and issues to be addressed to protect and enhance their land for generations to come. Reference...

Margy Lindquist is District Conservationist with the USDA NRCS office in Templeton, California. She explains what the NRCS is and how they help landowners conserve the resources on their property through technical and financial assistance. References: Natural Resources Conservation Service Web Soil Survey (WWS) Listen to the latest science and research with the Sustainable Winegrowing Podcast. Sin...

Three growers share their practices and experiences battling Powdery Mildew in their vineyards on the Central Coast. Sustainable practices including resistance management and customizing spray programs are discussed.   References: Inoculum Monitoring to Guide Mildew Management Podcast Inoculum Monitoring for Mildew Management Gubler/Thomas Model   Listen to the latest science and research with the...

Dr. Walt Mahaffee describes the latest advances for reducing fungicide applications while also increasing efficacy by monitoring when grape powdery mildew spores are actually in the environment. References: Inoculum Monitoring for Mildew Mgmt Gubler/Thomas Model Listen to the latest science and research with the Sustainable Winegrowing Podcast. Since 1994, Vineyard Team has been your resource for...

Three winegrape growers, Lucas Pope of Halter Ranch, Ryan Scott of Monterey Pacific, and John Pierini of J. Lohr Vineyards and Wines, share their specific, tried-and-true practices for preventing and managing Grapevine Trunk Diseases and the Red Blotch Virus. Topics include the logistics of pruning and dormant fungicide applications, trunk renewal, the economics of diseased vineyards, replanting,...

Grapevine Red Blotch-associated Virus causes a delay in ripening, unfavorable changes to juice chemistry, and lower yields in Chardonnay.   Dr. Deborah Golino is the Director of the Foundation Plant Services (FPS). FPS is a unit of the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences at UC Davis dedicated to the distribution of disease tested, true-to-identity plant materials produced by UC resea...

Dr. Michelle Moyer, Assistant Professor and Statewide Viticulture Extension Specialist at Washington State University uses the age old fairytale of Goldilocks and the Three Bears to explain powdery mildew. Like Goldilocks, powdery mildew likes the weather conditions to be just right. Dr. Moyer explains these ideal conditions and two key ways to avoid disease in your vineyard by making things "not...

Larry Bettiga is Viticulture Advisor for California's Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Benito Counties. He discusses the life cycle of Botrytis cinerea (bunch rot) and how factors such as environment and canopy management in the vineyard affect the severity of the disease. Larry also describes the best management practices to prevent the development of fungicide resistance.   Resources: Bunch Rot Dise...