Ohio Grape-Wine Electronic Newsletter

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1 Ohio Grape-Wine Electronic Newsletter Editor: David Scurlock, Viticulture Outreach Specialist Department of Horticulture and Crop Science Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center 1680 Madison Avenue Wooster, OH Content: 04 January 2016 (01) Mild Winter Concerns The Ghost of Weather Past-revisited due to broken link Evaluating Grapevine Buds Digital Mapping Vineyards to Improve Vineyard Management Sheep for Weed Control Know Your Grape and Wine Experts

2 Mild Winter Concerns By Imed Dami and Diane Kinney, HCS-OSU Happy New Year and hope you had pleasant holidays with your family and friends. The past November and December were one of the warmest months on record across the country. For example, the OARDC Weather station recorded much warmer temperatures throughout the fall, with record high mean temperature in December of 12.5 o F above the 30- year average (Figure 1)! Having said that, we should be happy that the fall and winter months are mild for grapes and us, right? The answer is Yes and No. Yes, if the minimum temperatures in January and February never dip low enough to damage grapevine parts. No, if mild temperatures persist during winter and vines would not acclimate to their maximum cold hardiness potential thus are more vulnerable to freezing injury. Figure 1. Departure of monthly mean temperature from the 30- year average Air Temperature ( o F) Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Devia6on from Average It seems paradox that grapevines like both warmth and cold. They like warmth to ripen their fruit and cold to satisfy their chilling requirement, and wake up at the same time and in full throttle during spring. Typically, hours of temperatures between 32F and 45F are added to account for chilling units. Even though chilling units in September through December were below the 10- year average (Figures 2, 3), grapes have a low chilling requirement compared to other fruit trees and are typically satisfied in our region even with mild weather. In addition to chilling requirement, cold also serves the purpose of increasing cold hardiness of vines. In other words, the more cooling units and the colder it is, the more cold hardy vines become. So far, this has not been the case and it is a source of concern.

3 Figure 2. Monthly Chilling Hours in Wooster Chilling Hours September October November December 2015 Monthly 10- year monthly average Figure 3. Cumula@ve Chilling Hours in Wooster Chilling Hours September October November December 2015 Cumula6ve 10- year cumula6ve average

4 Are grapes less hardy? To answer that question, we measured cold hardiness of primary buds collected on 22 December Cold hardiness expressed as LT50 (low temperature that kills 50% of primary buds) of several varieties, are presented in the table below. Cold hardiness varied from F in LaCrescent to - 2.4F in Cabernet franc. So, the answer is yes, vines are not as hardy as they could be at this time of year. Even though they are not, we should not worry for now since minimum air temperatures have been nowhere near the LT50 values. Having stated that, this is only the first week of January and we still have another 6-8 weeks to go. Let s hope that El Niño comes to the rescue this year with mild January and February temperatures. Variety LaCrescent Marquette Frontenac Riesling Aromella Regent Chardonel Chardonnay Cabernet franc Primary bud LT50 ( o F)

5 Editor Note: This is being resent because the link referencing Dr. Tony Wolfs newsletter Viticulture Notes, was broken. If it still does not work copy and paste the link into your internet explorer. The address is correct. The Ghost of Weather Past, Present and Future by Dave Scurlock, OSU/OARDC Viticulture Outreach Specialist Winter Past, Present and Future It is the end of another year, It is time to reflect back in order to look and plan ahead at what worked and what did not and why? The winter of was the coldest winter on record since Remember the POLAR VORTEX we had in ? Then we had the winter of We had 4 days of below OF in the month of January and then in February we had 11 days of below zero temperatures ranging from -1F to -32F. We had at least two things going for us in We had snow cover and at the time of the cold plunge we were at our hardiest LD50 around February Now in the winter of 2015 we are setting records for the warmest winter on record. It s nice to have a warm start to the winter but we do not want the rug pulled out from under us with severe subzero temperatures (-10 0 F and lower) potentially causing both bud and trunk damage. Chilling requirements ( hours) should have been satisfied at this time so a moderate and consistent cool down along with good snow fall is probably our best friend at this time. Lake Erie has only been completely iced over since records have been kept with the most recent being in In 2014 and 2015, Lake Erie was 91% and 94% covered almost eliminating the warming effects of the lake. Replanting was a necessity in many vineyards after the Polar Vortex in 2014 and again in 2015 after the severe cold winter. Some growers have opted to replant vinifera because that is what their clientele demands while areas that are not as optimal have been replanting with some of the more cold tolerant Minnesota varieties and possibly more sustainable. These extremely cold hardy varieties have their Achilles Heel too in the fact that they break bud early in the spring making them more susceptible to early spring frosts. Better techniques are continually being researched to manage both winter and spring damage such as hilling, wind machines, training systems and chemical sprays to help prevent damage to the vine and loss of crop. I recently read Dr. Tony Wolf s newsletter, Viticulture Notes Vol. 30, December 2015 that gives a great explanation of the weather conditions we have been experiencing this winter and its effects on bud cold hardiness and dormancy. Dr. Wolf, who has spoken at our Ohio Grape and Wine Conference on several occasions, has also used Dr. Michele Moyer s cold hardiness predicting model developed at Washington State University to predict cold hardiness of Cabernet Sauvignon in Virginia. Please look at the two following links. I think you will find them extremely interesting and informative. Virginia Cooperative Extension.Virginia Tech Virginia State University Dr. Tony Wolf, Viticulture Extension Specialist Viticulture Notes Vol. 30, December zmbmdcynjk1otg1mtmzmjc3njk0otgbd0lpu05vngdequfkataumqf2dc5lzhubdji

6 An article on Cold Hardiness prediction of grapes, published by the Good Fruit Grower in January , using the model developed by Dr. Michele Moyer at Washington State University can be found at the following link: Spring Past, Present and Future Let me just throw this out there. I heard of spring frost reported, at the Post Fermentation Workshop, in the SW quadrant of Ohio but I do not know of any killing spring frost events in any other quadrant in Ohio in April could have been the month last year when all our problems started with downy and powdery mildew. All 4 quadrants of Ohio experienced in April 2 to 5 inches of rain and from 12 to 19 days that had precipitation. Downy mildew can start to infect the vine at temperatures around 50 0 F. As the temperature increases so does the disease. If you missed applying a preventative spray such as Mancozeb early in the season, this is where your infection began. May was a pretty good month except for Northwest Ohio that had 12 days of rain with an accumulation of just over 4 inches of rain. June was a wet month for everyone across the state with precipitation totals ranging from 5 to 7 inches of rain and from 17 to 23 days during the month with rain. All of the diseases that need rain for development (phomopsis, anthracnose, downy and black rot were present this year. Powdery, although a dry season disease appeared because of high humidity conditions within the canopy. You would not expect powdery mildew in a fairly wet start and that is why Dr. Mike Ellis continually tells us that we need to control all 5 of these diseases. The recommendation for spring 2016 and for every spring is be prepared to spray early, spray often and be confident that you are applying the right chemical, at the right time, at the right rate and getting good coverage. We also saw an increase in weed pressure this year too. It was difficult to go back in and treat for weeds with many growers starting their vineyards from the ground up. I heard more infestations of phylloxera this year across the state too. This is also a timing thing. We have several good chemicals when applied at 8 inch shoot growth and then reapplied two weeks later should take care of your phylloxera problem with no further applications. For more information on treatments and rates used in this experiment, please click on the link below. 4%29.pdf Fall Past, Present and Future If we can survive the elements in winter, spring and summer we head into fall hoping for an extended growing season for optimal ripeness and just enough rain to sustain the vine and fruit. Normally, if you can use that term in agriculture, the fall rains can come and every effort is made to hold on to the crop to get the maturity numbers just right with minimal rot. This past fall was

7 one of the exceptions. We had nearly normal rainfall and we were behind in growing degree days at the end of August but ended with growing degree days above the 10 year average across the state. The crop that was harvested this year had excellent sugar to acid ratios and has the potential to make some very nice wine. The only down side was that we did not have a full crop across the state and in some areas growers only harvested 10-20% of a normal crop. There is No Silver Bullet or guarantee year to year when you are depending on Mother Nature to help produce a high quality crop. The best we can do is maintain a healthy vine with a multi-disciplinary approach to control crop load, maintain a good nutrient status and keep disease, weeds and insects in check. A healthy well balanced vine is much better prepared to take on Mother Nature. At least as far as its genetic potential will allow. Culturally burying canes and hilling up, the use of wind machines in the winter and spring, soybean oil applications in late winter, tiling (preferably before planting if needed), irrigation (new plantings) along with canopy and crop manipulation are cultural practices we can improve on for survivability as well as quality. It is no small feat to bring in a high quality crop. We have a great team at The Ohio State University to address your needs. If you need help with any particular area from grape growing to wine production, please contact one of the OSU specialist listed at the end of every newsletter. All the Best in 2016!

8 Editor Note: Happy New Year! Today I was reading in the American Fruit Grower that had several articles focused on Grapes. That is kind of a rarity so I took notice and thought you would enjoy reading these articles too. One article out of Oregon is talking about using sheep to weed the vineyards. Growers have used animals such as geese to weed strawberries in the past. I am sure most of you are not going to run out and buy a flock of sheep to weed your vineyards but sustainability and organic are always being tossed around. Hans Walter-Peterson, Cornell University, wrote an article, March 2014, that has some youtube links and pictures on Evaluating Bud Damage, that you may like to view to refresh your own procedures. The third article was written by Dr. Terry Bates, Cornell University, who spoke at our Ohio Grape and Wine Conference a few years ago on Vineyard Nutrition. The article in the America Fruit Grower is Digital Mapping to improve Vineyard Management Decisions. I sent out a newsletter last week and today I received an from Dr. Imed Dami, who said he had an article on the record warm winter weather that he wanted to send out this week, so I thought I would take this Golden Opportunity to add some more information for you all to read over these upcoming cold days.

9 Source: American Fruit Grower Evaluating Grapevine Buds For Winter Injury By: Hans Walter-Peterson March 6, 2014 It doesn t take long for anybody new to grape growing (or any kind of farming) to realize that, in the end, Mother Nature is ultimately in charge. In the northern half of the country, that is especially true during the winter particularly this year. Some of the coldest temperatures in many years have hit several grape growing regions in the East, from Indiana and Michigan to Ohio and New York. Even in places that are already considered cold climates for viticulture, like Minnesota and Vermont, temperatures have gotten low enough that there is the potential for significant injury to grapevine buds in many vineyards. The temperatures that are capable of causing injury to buds, canes, and trunks vary depending on a number of factors, including the variety, crop load, and disease management practices the previous season. And each cold event is different: How cold did it get? How long was it that cold? Was the wind blowing or not? All this is to say that the only way for growers to determine how much bud injury they have had in a given winter is to examine a sample of buds from their vineyards for damage. Here s the basic method for growers to assess bud injury (you can see videos demonstrating this method at our YouTube channel athttp:// Step 1: Collect at least 50 buds (100 is better) from the block about to be pruned. Make sure that the buds and canes that are collected are representative of those that would normally be kept after pruning. Step 2: Bring them inside to warm for 24 to 48 hours. This will allow time for tissues that have been injured to desiccate, and make it easier to differentiate between healthy and injured buds. Step 3: Using a sharp razor blade, cut cross sections of the bud until you can tell if the large primary bud is healthy or injured (see pictures). Count the number of dead or injured buds, and divide by the total number of buds sampled to get the percentage of injury.

10 Healthy Grape Bud Damaged Grape Bud Once a grower has assessed just how much damage there is, then he or she can make educated decisions about how to adapt their pruning practices in order to compensate for the amount of buds lost. The ability to retain extra buds at pruning is much easier in spur pruned systems than it is with cane pruning. Trellises usually are not set up with extra fruiting wires to accommodate more canes, which means that two canes need to be wrapped out on the same wire (bad idea). Instead, growers should spur prune vines that need to have extra buds retained on them. Dr. Imed Dami from Ohio State recently published a paper where he examined different pruning strategies after a major cold incident killed more than 90% of the primary buds in a Pinot Gris vineyard in He found that leaving long spurs provided the best balance of fruit production and vine growth in the following year compared to the other treatments (standard spur pruning, hedging to two bud spurs, and minimal pruning).

11 Once the injury assessment is made, growers can then make adjustments to their pruning practices based on those results: 0-14% bud mortality No adjustment necessary 15-34% Retain 35% more buds 35-50% Double the number of buds 50%+ Hedge pruning; retain long spurs. Retaining extra buds at pruning can have implications on vineyard management practices later in the season. The increased number of buds per foot of canopy will likely increase the need for additional shoot thinning, leaf pulling, and hedging in order to allow adequate sun and air penetration into the denser canopy for disease control and fruit quality purposes. Link for the article: 6&omhide=true&eid= &bid=

12 Source: American Fruit Grower Digital Mapping Could Help Growers Improve Vineyard Management Plans By: Ann-Marie Jeffries December 29, 2015 Concord vineyards along the shore of Lake Erie overlaid with spatial sensor canopy data. In this case, blue areas show vines with strong growth and high production and red areas show problem areas of poor growth and production. In conjunction with other spatial data layers, such as soil and yield maps, vineyard managers can develop variable rate management plans for their vineyards to reduce variation and improve production and fruit quality. Cornell University researchers are working on a project that will give grape growers access to digital maps detailing the health of their vineyards at a level never before achieved. The project, led by Terry Bates, director of the Cornell Lake Erie Research and Extension Lab in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS), received $6 million in federal funding. The purpose of the project is to be able to measure and manage the natural spatial variability in vineyards, Bates says. Mobile sensors are hooked up to tractors or ATVs while growers perform other vineyard activities. For example, there s a sensor that measures soil electrical conductivity, and another sensor is pointed at the sidewall of the canopy to measure it as the grower drives through the vineyard. The soil sensors already exist, as do sensors for measuring canopy. A yield monitor is also available that mounts on a grape harvester and can measure the weight of the grapes as they

13 come off the vine. The task now is to create a sensor that can sense what size the crop is early in the season, non-destructively. Carnegie Mellon University researchers are in the process of developing an ATV-mounted crop sensor that can detect berries as the grower drives through the vineyard. The goal is to do this early- or mid-season to create a spatial map of what the yield is likely to be. What we try to do is start layering all this data on top of each other, Bates explains. So with soil, canopy and crop, we layer that data and look at the relationships between the data layers and come up with management maps for the grower. The Possibilities The ultimate goal is for these layered maps to help growers make wiser, well-informed vineyard management decisions. We can get an after-the-fact yield off the grape yield monitor that anyone can buy, but we re trying to also develop this early-season or mid-season image analysis to give us the same thing, but give it to us at a time when we can actually do something about the crop, Bates says. For example, if a crop is too heavy in one side of the vineyard and light in the other side, the crop can be thinned on the heavy side, and growers can prepare for early ripening on the light side, which can help with harvest planning. Once the sensor development is complete, the next step is to establish and test the variable rate management, Bates says. Researchers will be looking at whether variable rate management does indeed save the grower money by lowering production costs and improving juice quality. Bates adds that while he began work on the project in New York, the California wine and table grape industries are heavily vested in the project. Four test sites have been set up in California, in addition to one in New York. We re dealing with measuring the fundamentals of vine productivity, so that makes it able to transcend across all the different grape industries, Bates says. Whether you re growing juice grapes in New York, wine grapes in Washington, or table grapes in the San Joaquin Valley, growers want to know how soil affects vine growth, their canopy development, and how canopy development affects vine productivity. 6&omhide=true&eid= &bid=

14 Source: American Fruit Grower Employing Sheep For Weed Control By: Ann-Marie Jeffries December 29, 2015 Sheep can help control weeds, but they do more than that. Photo: Benziger Family Winery According to Chris Benziger, who has been employing sheep at Benziger Family Winery for more than 10 years, animals bring personality to the vineyard. They add a real texture to the property, and they do a great job, too, he says. The operation uses sheep in place of mowers, and this time of year they re especially helpful for cleaning up the rows (and fertilizing, too). There s a lot of leaves and detritus from the harvest on the vineyard floor, and this stuff can overwinter and cause mold and mildew problems, Benziger says. By letting the sheep out, not only do they graze on the grass their little hooves are pushing the leaves in [the ground] so they re not molding on the surface. Benziger describes the sheep s movement up and down the rows as a sort of typewriter motion, or like someone eating corn on the cob. Employees section the vineyard off so that the animals graze in only one section at a time something Benziger says is very important. You don t want them to overgraze the grass, because that s detrimental to the health of the vineyard, he says. So there s an art to this. Caring For Sheep There s a lot to consider if you re thinking about implementing sheep in your vineyard. At the beginning of the year, you have to introduce a new ram to bring in fresh DNA. The ram will impregnate the ewes, and then the ewes must be monitored for health during their pregnancies. Benziger typically has about 60 ewes, each one averaging about two lambs. A veterinarian is called in if any problems arise.

15 In addition, it s important to look after the sheep s hooves and nails, keeping them trimmed and clean. And they can t get too wet, because they ll get an infection, Benziger adds. Because there are nearby mountain lions and bobcats, they also have to house the sheep in what they call the sheep shack every night. There s definitely some labor involved and some expenses for the care of the sheep, Benziger says. Approximately five people on staff at the vineyard, including Benziger, act as part-time shepherds. They all enjoy it. It s just neat, he says. You just see the actions of the animals, and then your dogs with the sheep you kind of see the whole circle of life right there in front of you. Are Sheep Right For Your Operation? If you re thinking about investing in sheep for the sole purpose of cost savings, Benziger says you might want to think long and hard about the commitment. While the goal is for the operation to make money on the sheep by selling the lambs in the spring, he admits that hasn t happened yet. It s not going to be the most efficient use of your time, but it s going to add something to your vineyard particularly if you have people come to your property, he says. It adds a real flair to it. We love having the animals. It s a much better place. It s much healthier, and it just adds more interest. Link for this article: &omhide=true&eid= &bid= Stay tuned for part two to learn how Benziger Family Winery attracts beneficial insects for improved pest control.

16 OSU Grape & Wine Research & Outreach Specialist Please contact the following Research, Extension/Outreach Specialists, and Educators if you have any questions relating to their respective field of expertise. Contact Information Name & Address Phone & Website Dr. Mike Ellis, Emeritus Professor Dept. Plant Pathology 224 Selby Hall OARDC 1680 Madison Avenue Wooster, OH E mail: ellis.7@osu.edu *After Dec Website: Area of Expertise & Assistance Provided Grape diseases and control. Recommendation on grape fungicides Dr. Celeste Welty Dept. of Entomology Columbus, Ohio E mail: welty.1@osu.edu Fruit and vegetable Insects Dr. Doug Doohan, Professor Dept. Horticulture & Crop Science 205 Gourley Hall OARDC 1680 Madison Avenue Wooster, OH E mail: doohan.1@osu.edu Website: Vineyard weeds and control. Recommendation on herbicides Dr. Imed Dami, Associate Professor & Viticulture State Specialist Dept. Horticulture & Crop Science 216 Gourley Hall OARDC 1680 Madison Avenue Wooster, OH E mail: dami.1@osu.edu Website: oardc.osu.edu/grapeweb/ Viticulture research and statewide extension & outreach programs. Recommendation on variety selection. Imed is the primary research contact of the viticulture program.

17 Contact Information Name & Address Phone & Website Area of Expertise& Assistance Provided David Scurlock, Viticulture Outreach Specialist 118 Gourley Hall OARDC 1680 Madison Avenue Wooster, OH E mail: scurlock.2@osu.edu Website: oardc.osu.edu/grapeweb/ Evaluation of site suitability for vineyard establishment and all aspects of grape production practices in northern Ohio. David is the primary extension contact of the viticulture program Todd Steiner, Enology Program Manager & Outreach Specialist Dept. Horticulture & Crop Science 118 Gourley Hall OARDC 1680 Madison Avenue Wooster, OH E mail: steiner.4@osu.edu Website: oardc.osu.edu/grapeweb/ Commercial wine production, sensory evaluation, laboratory analysis/setup and winery establishment. Todd is the primary research and extension contact of the enology program Dr. Gary Gao, Small Fruit Specialist and Associate Professor, OSU South Centers 1864 Shyville Road, Piketon, OH OSU Campus in Columbus Room 256B, Howlett Hall, 2001 Fyffe Ct Columbus, OH ext.123 Fax: gao.2@cfaes.osu.edu Website: Viticulture Research and Outreach, VEAP visits in southern Ohio, vineyard management practices, soil fertility and plant nutrition, fruit quality improvement, variety evaluation, table and wine grape production Station Manager Ashtabula Agricultural Research Station 2625 South Ridge Road Kingsville, OH E mail: Website: Winegrape production in Northeast Ohio, especially vinifera varieties

18 Contact Information Name & Address Phone & Website Area of Expertise& Assistance Provided David Marrison, County Extension Director, Associate Professor & Extension Educator, OSU Extension Ashtabula County 39 Wall Street Jefferson, Ohio Ext. 106 E mail: marrison.2@osu.edu Website: ashtabula.osu.edu Vineyard and winery economics, estate planning and Extension programs in Northeast Ohio