Vineyard Technologies: Beyond the Basics

Tonnellerie Ermitage Room

Vineyard management can be enhanced via the application of a wide range of spatial monitoring and assessment technologies. Many of these technologies are now more than ever within the reach of growers of all sizes. The goal of this session is to provide an overview of technologies related to soil information systems (SIS), soil moisture monitoring and irrigation planning tools, site-specific 'virtual' weather stations, and remote sensing for vineyard canopy monitoring and assessment. As individual tools or as part of an integrated management plan these technologies can provide insights on how to maintain and enhance vineyard health and fruit quality, manage resources, monitor risk, and overall improve many aspects of your operations.

Moderator: Greg Jones, Southern Oregon University

Speakers: Paul Skinner, Terra Spase; Marcus Buchanan, OSU Extension; Len Coop, Integrated Plant Protection Center at OSU; Paul Anamosa, Anamosa Vineyard Soil Technologies

Vineyard Management: Back to Basics

Tonnellerie Ermitage Room

Responsible vineyard establishment begins with plant selection. After all, vines are the source of your fruit, wine and ultimately--profit! Knowing what to choose and the options out there are often confusing: Should I use rootstock or not? What’s the difference between certified or non-certified plants? What exactly is a quarantine, and why do we need to follow it? This session will also raise your awareness of the vineyard’s “most-wanted” list of troublemakers from virus to insect pests and point you to the resources available when you are plagued by these problems.

Moderators: Al MacDonald, Chemeketa Community College; Patty Skinkis, Oregon State University

Speakers: Chris Lake, Southern Oregon Wine Institute; Helmuth Rogg, Insect Pest Prevention, Oregon Department of Agriculture; Dale Mitchell, Oregon Department of Agriculture; Paul Jepson, IPM Center at Oregon State University; Patty Skinkis, Oregon State University

N-P-K's Path from Soil to Vine to Fruit Quality

Tonnellerie Ermitage Room

This session will lead participants on a journey toward understanding vineyard nutrition. You will be introduced to a new tool developed here in Oregon that will aide in basic identification of grapevine nutrition, which includes photos and descriptive analysis to aide in identifying vineyard nutritional problems. A viticulturist/soil scientist will detail the chemistry of organic fertilizers and look at how and when they are best and most efficiently used by the vines. Finally we will take a look at an ongoing project focusing on the availability of N, P and K in grapevines and the consequences to fruit quality in Oregon.

Moderator: Leigh Bartholomew, Archery Summit Winery

Speakers: Paul Schreiner, Research Plant Physiologist, USDA-ARS; Paul Anamosa, President Anamosa Vineyard Soil Technologies; Patty Skinkis, Viticulture Extension Specialist, OSU

Viticulture Genomics: The High-Powered Super Sleuth

Tonnellerie Ermitage Room

What exactly is genomics and does it have to do with viticulture or the vineyard? Genomics is an area of scientific research that investigates the function of an organism at the gene level, be that a vine or disease. It is a tool used to explore the function genes play in regulating important components of vine growth and berry chemistry that we target through vineyard and winery management practices. Come learn more about how scientists are using these tools to identify the culprits behind berry phenolic compounds or how the vine deals with stress. Secondly, you will get a glimpse at the disease world from the metagenomic perspective of leaf and berry surfaces.

Moderator: Patty Skinkis, Oregon State University

Speakers: Laurent Deluc, Assistant Professor of Horticulture, OSU; Johan LeVeau, Assistant Professor of Plant Pathology, UC Davis

Beyond Certification: Ecological Sustainability in an Interconnected World

Tonnellerie Ermitage Room

This 400-level session will challenge you to go beyond certification, whether it be LIVE, organic, or biodynamic, when looking at the ecology of your vineyard internally and the place of your vineyard within the surrounding landscape and ecology. We have persuaded a diverse group of some of the most forward ecological thinkers in the world to come to the Oregon Wine Symposium to educate, challenge, and enlighten us on cutting edge methods and systems to incorporate your vineyard more deeply into the local ecology for greater sustainability, health and quality. This session is tailor-made for those of you who are currently farming sustainably and want to move beyond certification, diving more deeply into the landscape of your vineyard and its environment.

Moderator: Rudy Marchesi, Montinore Winery

Speakers: Cliff Ohmart, VP of Professional Services, SureHarvest; Steve Wratten, Professor, Lincoln U, NZ; Kerri Steenworth, Research Plant Pathologist, UC Davis; Amy Dreves, Research Associate, OSU

Spanish-language Intro to Viticulture Session

12th Floor Vistas

This session will be presented in Spanish and focuses on four major areas: vine physiology, canopy management, pest and disease identification, and pesticide management. The vine physiology section will include photosynthesis, respiration and transpiration, among others. A comprehensive discussion about canopy management will follow and topics include pruning, shoot positioning, leaf pulling and crop thinning. Conventional and organic farming will be discussed including main chemicals used. The final section will focus on pest management and pesticides. Some of the topics to be presented include pest identification with hands-on experience, leaf roll and mealy bugs, spider mites, powdery mildew, botrytis, armillaria, and phylloxera. Section on pesticide management will emphasize why we use pesticides, how we use them, and the mode of action and timing.

Moderator: Juan Pablo "JP" Valot, Chemeketa Community College