Coffee Shop Blog
In the Vineyard with Paul Verdegaal
The 2015 Harvest came to a close by the second week of October. Harvest began on the earliest date that most anyone can remember. It is an interesting year to say the least, but there have been previous harvest starts in July. Let’s look back on some local...
Red Blotch Virus Update from ICVG
I had the great pleasure of attending the 18th International congress on viruses of the grapevine (ICVG) held on September 7-11 in Ankara, Turkey. Every three years, ICVG brings together the world's best and brightest minds to report on the cutting-edge frontier of...
Lodi Growers Boost Knowledge about Grape Pest Management
The Lodi Winegrape Commission and the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) have a long history of working together to achieve our common goal of communicating research insights about best management practices to Lodi growers. In light of this, the...
MAXIMIZING COVER CROP BENEFITS THROUGH SELECTION AND MANAGMENT
MONDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2015. BY STAN GRANT, VITICULTURIST. Cover crops provide an array of important benefits to vineyards. These include direct benefits that improve soil tilth, build soil structure, enhance the root environment, limit soil erosion, and modify the...
Managing Vineyard Mineral Efficiency Beyond the Four R’s
External pressures on mineral nutrient use in vineyards come from several directions. On the one hand, to remain competitive, we need to contain applied mineral nutrient costs even while costs of some fertilizers are being driven upward by the growing global...
Ciatti Global Market Update – September 2015
“Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives” was a quote television catchphrase from a long‐running soap opera, which is appropriate for this global market update. With harvest in full swing in the Northern Hemisphere, buyers are truing up...
Laboratory Testing for Grapevine Diseases
Some grapevine diseases can be identified easily in the field by signs of the pathogen, which include microscopic and macroscopic microbial cells, tissues, and structures. For example, the appearance of the powdery mildew fungus on the surface of infected leaves and...
Financial Assistance Available for Red Blotch Infected Vines
California winegrape growers with losses due to grapevine red blotch-associated virus (GRBaV), the causative agent of red blotch disease, may be eligible for financial assistance for vine replacement from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Tree Assistance...