Ohio Grape-Wine Electronic
Newsletter
Editor: Imed Dami, PhD
Assistant Professor and Extension Viticulture Specialist
Department of Horticulture and Crop Science
Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center
1680 Madison Avenue
Wooster, OH 44691-4096
Phone: (330)-263-3882
Fax: (330)-263-3887
E-mail: dami.1@osu.edu
www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/grapeweb/
09 November 2007
===========================================================
Content:
Hilling-up vines for winter
protection
Grape
Initiative in Southern Ohio
New Book on Sustainable Viticulture Practices
====================================================================================
Hillarious-no laughing matter
by David Scurlock
During the 90’s decade the hilling up process became an unpleasant
memory. The turn of the century was no laughing matter. The winters of
2003, 2004 and 2005 definitely brought about a rebirth of hilling up to
protect vinifera vines. This was especially true of our neighbors in
New York State who suffered more vine losses due to cold winter
temperatures on unhilled vines.
Some of the growers in Northern Ohio perform a pre-hilling up process in
September to control weeds and build up the mound for winter
protection. Our recommendation is to hill up your vinifera vines for
winter protection by whatever means you have available to you. This is
a standard practice for vinifera vineyards and is also a good practice
for newly planted grafted vines whether they are vinifera or French
hybrid vines. The idea is that soil hilled up above the graft union is
going to provide you with the best protection from cold injury at least
to the graft union area and those viable scion buds above the union. In
the event that we, parish the thought, would get a severely cold winter
this will increase the odds that your vine will survive although it in
no way offers immunity to the top exposed portion of the vine. At one
time we did bury two to four ten bud canes underground. These were
attached to a wire that ran along the ground so that the canes could be
more easily pulled up from under the soil and used for cropping in the
event that the top fruiting portion was winter killed. If we did not
have killing temperatures, the buried canes could be spurred back and
allowed to grow again to be used in the same manner the following fall.
This is labor intensive, although effective for survival and a partial
crop following a severe winter. Size of your operation, cost and time
determine what you can do. There are several hilling machines on the
market. Three machines that are commonly used are the Braun-a mid
mounted single disk plow, the Green hoe-mid mounted single blade and the
Clover Hill-three point hitch mounted offset disk plow. These range
from $1500-$6000 depending when you bought it (new or used) and what
type of accessories that you purchase with it. My goal every year is to
have the vines buried prior to Thanksgiving. This gives me a deadline
and insures that the vines are protected before any severe temperatures
occur. Vines that are uniform with straight trunks make this operation
easier to accomplish. The process of taking the soil away in the spring
requires more skill and vines that are uniformly spaced with straight
trunks will make this process easier. Soil conditions are another aspect
of hilling that you must pay attention to. If the soil is too wet you
are going to get clumping of the soil and have areas of air pockets that
will not insulate the vine. This whole process is not the best thing
for the soil in the first place so you want to minimize the damage that
you are doing to the soil stucture. Soil that is friable when it is
mounded and behaves more like a blanket is what you are looking for.
These machines do not work on rocky ground or hillsides where erosion is
going to be a problem. Other methods such as the use of mulching
materials (straw, bark, grape pumice or fill in the blank) may be used
as an alternative. These materials are expensive unless you have free
access to them and large quantities are needed to offer similar
protection as soil. Hilling is not hilarious, but is a one of the tools
we have to compete with Mother Nature.
===============================================================================================
Grape
Initiative for Southern Ohio
by Maurus Brown, Small Fruit Crops
Specialist, OSU South Centers, Piketon
A new grape initiative has been
started at the OSU South Centers, Piketon to promote the economic
development of the southern Ohio wine industry. Our goal is to use a
multi-discipline approach to help address grape and wine production
questions that will lead to the expansion of the wine industry in
southern Ohio. To show that an agricultural-based wine industry is an
economic benefit for southern Ohio, this grape research trial will be
part of an effort to promote wine grape production, winery expansion,
tourism, and new markets for Ohio wines. Experimental wines will be
produced in the Enology lab at the OARDC, Wooster to investigate the
potential for making commercial wines from tested varieties. Research
on anthocyanins and phenolic compounds will be conducted to determine
the levels found in wine grapes grown in southern Ohio growing region.
Wine grape varieties selected for this new trial are based on the
NE-1020 grape research initiative protocol
http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/pubs/vitcon/07pdf/56.pdf).
Research will investigate varieties to determine if they are adaptable
to southern Ohio growing conditions. This trial will be planted in 2008
on the research farm at OSU South Centers. Field tile (4-inch
perforated polyvinyl tile) was installed for drainage. The vineyard is
being planted in an Omulga silt loam soil, with moderate permeability
above a fragipan. The soil surface is 05 percent.
Table 1. Grape varieties evaluated for commercial production in
southern Ohio.
| Variety (Scion)
|
Type |
Rootstock |
Location in Vineyard |
| Viognier
|
Vinifera |
101-14 |
Replicated Plots |
| Petite Verdot
|
Vinifera |
101-14 |
Replicated Plots |
| Merlot*
|
Vinifera |
101-14 |
Replicated Plots |
| Cabernet Sauvignon*
|
Vinifera |
101-14 |
Replicated Plots |
| Malvesia Bianca
|
Vinifera |
101-14 |
Replicated Plots |
| Tempranillo
|
Vinifera |
101-14 |
Replicated Plots |
| Hibernal
|
French-American |
3309C |
Replicated Plots |
| Noiret
|
French-American |
3309C |
Replicated Plots |
| Vidal*
|
French-American |
3309C |
Replicated Plots |
| Chambourcin*
|
French-American |
3309C |
Replicated Plots |
| Chardonnay
|
Vinifera |
101-14 |
Guard Row |
| Cabernet Franc
|
Vinifera |
101-14 |
Guard Row |
| Vidal
|
French-American |
3309C |
Guard Row |
| Chambourcin
|
French-American |
3309C |
Guard Row |
*Standard (check) varieties
Research will be conducted on test varieties and standard wine varieties
will be used as checks. The trial will be established as a completely
randomized plot design within bilateral cordon (French-American hybrids)
or VSP (Vinifera) trellis systems, with six replications. Four vines
will be planted per plot to assure adequate yield of grapes for
processing. Experimental wines will be evaluated by Todd Steiner at the
OARDC, Wooster into experimental wines.
Data will be recorded on leaf wetness, canopy
temperature, relative humidity, sunlight penetration, and soil
temperature. Information on each component will be monitored to
determine if there are effects on plant growth, pest populations and
overall variety and environment interaction. Data will also be
collected on chilling hours to monitor dormancy and cold acclimation and
deacclimation and heat units, which relate to overall vine growth and
productivity. We will also record budbreak, insect and disease
presence, first and full-bloom, and time of veraison.
Extension programs will include grower consultations, vineyard site
visits, workshops, and field nights. New grape growers will be assisted
with marketing tools (e.g., OGEN grape marketing system, Market Maker®)
to help them find markets for wine grapes. Tourism is considered one of
the fastest growing economic sectors in Ohio and can provide a good
resource for showcasing wineries in southern Ohio. OSU South Centers
work closely with the Ohio travel and tourism industry and would like to
help promote southern Ohio wineries and attract new tourism dollars to
southern Ohio.
This research initiative is being conducted as a collaboration among
Maurus Brown (OSU South Centers), Imed Dami (OSU State Viticulturist),
Todd Steiner (Enology Program Manager and Outreach Specialist), and
Monica Giusti (OSU Food Science and Technology Dept.).
===================================================================================
New Book on Sustainable
Viticulture Practices
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 5, 2007
Contact: Linda McCandless,
llm3@cornell.edu
Cornell Cooperative
Extension Publishes Sustainable Viticulture Workbook
By Joe Ogrodnick
Geneva, N.Y.: Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) has published a
125-page self- assessment workbook on sustainable agriculture for grape
growers. The workbook, New York Guide To Sustainable Viticulture
Practices, is now available in both print and online versions.
"Increased sustainability has been embraced as a goal for many
businesses, from agriculture and industry to retail giants. Everybody
knows that they 'want' it, but defining it has been more elusive," said
Tim Martinson, a CCE senior extension associate and leader of the
Sustainable Viticulture Project. "For growers, sustainability is the
result of numerous day-to-day decisions they make about managing their
vineyards. We hope this workbook will provide them with practical,
nuts-and-bolts ideas that they can apply to reducing environmental
impacts while improving or maintaining profitability and protecting
health and safety for workers and consumers."
New York Guide To Sustainable Viticulture Practices offers grape
growers in New York and other regions of the northeastern United States
guidance in the evaluation and adoption of best management practices to
minimize environmental impacts, reduce economic risks and protect worker
health and safety. These practices include: soil management to reduce
erosion, runoff and leaching; use of integrated pest management (IPM)
practices for insect, disease and weed management; nutrient management,
with a particular focus on nitrogen use; pesticide management and spray
technology; and cultural practices used in viticulture. The workbook
asks growers 134 questions related to these practices.
After answering the questions, growers can develop an action plan based
on the results of their self-assessment. The action plan addresses those
practices they believe can be effectively modified within the financial
and management capacity of their farm.
The workbook has already been used by over 60 grape growers statewide,
who manage over 5,000 acres of grapes or 20 percent of the total New
York grape acreage, according to Jamie Hawk, outreach coordinator for
the Sustainable Viticulture Project. These growers were able to identify
an average of nine specific changes that they will implement on their
farms over the next few years.
The impetus for developing this workbook came from industry groups
across New York state - from juice grape cooperatives and large wineries
based in the Finger Lakes and Lake Erie to the small-winery segment in
the Finger Lakes and on Long Island. All of these groups were
represented on the steering committee (12 from industry and three from
CCE), and were looking for a way to promote and document the use of
sustainable production practices by growers, processors and wineries.
The project was funded through the Northeast Center for Risk Management
Education, the New York Farm Viability Institute, and the New York Wine
and Grape Foundation.
The workbook is recognized and endorsed by the Agricultural
Environmental Management (AEM) Program of the New York State Soil and
Water Conservation Committee and the New York State Department of
Agriculture and Markets as the official Tier 2 AEM Worksheets for
vineyards. Through local soil and water conservation districts, the AEM
program helps identify cost-sharing opportunities to help finance
conservation practices that reduce environmental impacts of agriculture.
"The development of this workbook was the first totally collaborative
project that included all grape-growing regions across New York state
and all varieties that are used for juice, wine and table grape
production," said Tom Davenport, director of viticulture for the
National Grape Cooperative. "Producers, processors and winery
representatives across the state worked diligently with Cornell research
and Cooperative Extension personnel to develop the workbook. It not only
enables producers to evaluate the sustainability of their farms, but
contains specific recommendations that will help them continue to adopt
new sustainable practices as part of a continuous improvement process."
Copies of New York Guide To Sustainable Viticulture Practices can
be purchased online for $30.00 through the NYSAES bookstore at:
https://www.nysaes.comell.edu/store/catalog/.
The online version is
available at: (www.vinebalance.com).