Viticulture News
Red Blotch Disease
At a recent meeting held at UC Davis titled “Current Issues in Vineyard Health”, a newly-discovered viral disease being expressed in California’s vineyards was discussed. Currently named ‘Red Blotch Disease’, its symptoms distinguish it from leafroll virus expression, as does its PCR fingerprint. Presently, the most complete information available on the disease can be found in a brochure developed by Jim Wolpert, Viticulture Extension Specialist, UC Davis and Mysore Sudarshana, Plant Pathologist, USDA-ARS, UC Davis.
If you experienced low soluble solids (Brix) or had lower than expected yields in 2012 that cannot be explained, you might want to learn more about Red Blotch Disease.
LEARN MORE:
http://ucanr.edu/red-blotch-disease-2012
2013 ASEV Merit Award
The American Society for Enology and Viticulture (ASEV) Board announced Dr. Jim Wolpert, Viticulture Specialist, University of California-Davis, as ASEV's 2013 Merit Award recipient.
Jim Wolpert is a native of Indiana. He received his bachelor of science from Purdue University in Horticulture in 1973. He took further training at Michigan State University, receiving a Master's degree in 1978 and a PhD in 1983. Both thesis projects involved research on production practices of 'Concord' grapes and how these practices influence vine cold hardiness.
In 1983, he joined UC Davis and from 1983 through mid-1985, he worked as a postdoctoral scholar in the Pomology Department, working on production problems of pistachio nut trees in California.
In 1985, Jim joined the Department of Viticulture and Enology as a Cooperative Extension viticulture specialist, where he is responsible for applied research and grower education programs for winegrapes in Northern California. His main areas of research are performance of rootstocks, winegrape clones and varieties, as well as improvements in vineyard design and cultural practices as they influence wine quality.
He has been invited to speak at industry meetings in Colorado, Michigan, Missouri, New York, New Mexico, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Washington, as well as in Canada, Germany, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand and Spain, and is the author of more than 50 scientific and technical publications.
He is past-president of the American Society for Enology and Viticulture and was co-organizer of many successful ASEV symposia on topics such as rootstocks, winegrape clones, and alternative varieties. Jim is also past chair of the Department of Viticulture & Enology, UC Davis, where he held the title of Marvin Sands Endowed Department Chair and was instrumental in creating the Department's Board of Visitors and Fellows to help guide the future vision of the department in sustaining continued excellence.
Jim’s achievements will be celebrated at the National ASEV Conference in Monterey, California, on June 24-28, 2013.
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Vineyard Pest ID Cards: English and Spanish Bundled Specials
SPECIAL OFFER-Vineyard Pest Identification and Monitoring Cards
Stay on top of pest activity in your vineyard!
Keep your vineyard healthy with this set of 50 sturdy, pocket-size laminated cards, now available in both English and Spanish. This is the perfect quick field references for identifying and monitoring vineyard diseases and pests for you and your crew.
Each set covers 41 common insects and mites, 11 diseases, 23 beneficial insects, and a variety of other disorders, weeds, and invertebrate pests. Each pest is identified by a description and high-quality close-up color photographs, with 244 photos in all. One the reverse side of each card you’ll find a description of the various life stages and monitoring tips.
Each card also includes descriptions of natural enemies as well as handy inch and metric measurement scales for easy measuring out in the field. A sturdy rivet keeps the set together so individual cards won’t stray.
These 50 information-rich cards will help growers, vineyard managers, and their teams identify and manage most common problems.
2011 • 1 set of English cards • $25.00 • ANR Pub 3532
To order: http://ucanr.edu/vinepests
2012 • 1 set of Spanish cards • $25.00 • ANR Pub 3538
To order: http://ucanr.edu/vinepests_spanish
SPECIAL OFFERS:
1 set of English cards & 5 sets of Spanish cards • $75.00 – 50% OFF!
To order: http://ucanr.edu/vinepests_bundle1
1 set of English cards & 1 set of Spanish cards • $40.00 – 20% OFF!
To order: http://ucanr.edu/vinepests_bundle2
Raisin Theft Advisory
The last two years, San Joaquin Valley raisin growers experienced a high number of rolled raisin thefts. The majority of the thefts occurred near Biola and the area west of Selma. In past years the Sheriff’s Department has received reports of both bin and rolled raisin thefts. In 2011 thefts consisted primarily of rolled raisins taken from the fields, usually during the evening and late night hours.
PREVENTION TIPS
- Place rolled raisin trays deeper in the vineyard away from main roads. Doing so limits visibility from the roadway.
- Remove raisins and/or bins from fields or unsecured locations as soon as possible.
- Secure tractors, trailers and most importantly forklifts, so the criminals are not able to use your own equipment to perpetrate the theft.
Report any theft and or sighting of suspicious vehicles/persons with descriptions as soon as possible to Fresno Sheriff's Department 559-488-3111 or your local Sheriff's department.
For in-progress crimes or any emergency, please dial 911.
New Wine Grapes from Cornell University Need Names
Help name the newest grapes from the Cornell University Grape Breeding Program!
It’s hard to come up with new winegrape names-they have to be unique, distinctive, and descriptive, look good on a wine bottle, and meet a variety of complicated legal specifications that you don't even want to think about.
Even more important, you have to like the grape and its name- because we hope we’ll be seeing the varietal name on wine bottles in the near future!
So the Cornell University Grape Breeding Program is challenging YOU- the wine industry-to help us name our two newest wine grapes.
If you’d like to try your hand at naming grapes, take a look at the variety descriptions and photos for NY-76.0844.24 (white) and NY-95.0301.01 (red) below. Be as creative as you like, keeping in mind that names have to be unique-no reruns- and should be designed to sell varietal wine. Send as many creative names as you can think of to Bruce Reisch at bruce.reisch@cornell.edu by July 27, 2012, and they will be placed on "the list" for reveiw. Cornell University will do the all the legal footwork to check for trademark violations and such, compile a shortlist of possibilities, and release a name for each when they have been selected! If your grape name(s) is/are chosen, you will be acknowledged at the variety introduction and any publicity related events. (Sorry, no cash award- but just think of the lasting glory and fame!)
Thanks for your help, and we look forward to seeing your creative names!
Meet the Grapes
NY-95.0301.01 is a red wine selection, and will be the first introduction to originate from the “no-spray” portion of the Geneva breeding program. It’s highly resistant to both downy and powdery mildews, making it a good choice for sustainable or organic growers. The wine is dark red with little or no hybrid character, and exhibits moderate body, good structure, and blueberry on the palate.
NY-76.0844.24, a white wine selection, ranks very high for winter hardiness and productivity. The estimated temperature of 50% primary bud kill in mid-winter is –17 F, and cold damage to trunks is rare. Wine quality is excellent, showing aromatic characters that panelists compare to Gewürztraminer or a citrusy Muscat.
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