The latest research and information from the Oregon Wine Research Institute
Did you know that September 21-27 is National Farm Safety Week? It’s a good time to put on your learning cap and brush up on safety practices that will keep you and your employees safe. In honor of National Farm Safety Week, the Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences -Pacific Northwest Agricultural Safety & Health, is providing information from the Northwest and other NIOSH Regional Ag Centers. For more information, search online for #NFSW14.
Vinay Pagay
1. What is your position at SOREC/OWRI?
I started my job at OSU-SOREC and the OWRI in January 2014 after receiving my doctorate at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. My position is a combination of viticulture research (60%) and extension (40%), so an interesting mix of basic and applied research, as well as addressing issues faced by the grape and wine industry in Southern Oregon. In my position, I cover the Southern Oregon AVA (American Viticultural Area), which includes the Rogue (Bear Creek and Applegate Valleys), Illinois, and Umpqua Valleys.
2. What do you enjoy most about your work?
The most interesting part about this job is the diversity of viticulture that exists in Southern Oregon. Sub-regional climates, soils, and topography contribute to this diversity, but the plethora of grape varieties – by some accounts up to 70! – from both warm and cool climates make my job not only interesting but also challenging. Can you tell the two Portuguese cultivars Tinta Amarella (Trincadeira, if you prefer) and Tinta Barocca apart by looking at just their leaves? Email me if you’re curious to know how!
3. When you’re not working, what do you do?
My time outside of the office or vineyard is spent working out (I compete in Olympic-distance triathlons, so a lot of swimming/biking/running/weight training), hiking the hills around Southern Oregon, playing golf, and reading (currently a book entitled ‘The Sleepwalkers’ by Christopher Clark, a Cambridge historian; it is about the events leading up to the first world war – quite a gripping story). I am trying to get back into playing competitive tennis and classical piano, but have yet to find time for these. I also enjoy home brewing and baking breads when I’m home over the weekends.
4. How did you choose your career path?
While pursuing my first degree in computer engineering, I had an old friend from high school visit me in Montreal who led me through my first structured tasting of wine (red was the color of the evening). This delightful experience led me to read and learn more about the world’s wine regions, styles, and wine production, culminating in my enrolling at Brock University in Canada to do a degree in enology and viticulture. The mentorship I received while at Brock, and later at Cornell, were instrumental in my decision to pursue this career and current job at OSU/OWRI.
5. What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
Take up a job you love and you’ll be successful (and maybe even wealthy!) before you know it. I think at least part of it has come true already!
6. Which three people (living or dead) would you invite to dinner?
-Thomas Jefferson (for his wine collection, of course)
– Sergei Prokofiev (Russian composer)
– Bill Clinton
7. What is your vision for the Southern Oregon wine industry?
I see the wine industry in Southern Oregon as destined for greatness and popularity not only within Oregon but also across the country. With significant acreages being planted with winegrapes across the region, higher grape and wine quality from the greater experience of the industry, the profile and visibility of this region is steadily increasing. The diversity of available grape varieties and wine styles provide tremendous opportunities for this region. While Southern Oregon has a number of major tourist attractions, e.g. Crater Lake, the Britt and Oregon Shakespeare Festivals, I envision wine tourism growing in this small but dynamic region of Oregon.
Oregon Department of Agriculture Grape Quarantine Update
The Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) has updated its grape quarantine rules and added Pierce’s Disease (Xylella fastidiosa) to the already listed Grapevine fanleaf virus, grapevine leafroll associated viruses, grapevine corky bark disease agent, grape phylloxera, vine mealybug, and European grapevine moth. The quarantine places restrictions on the importation of all parts of the grapevine into Oregon including the harvested fruit. Please review the accompanying quarantine of Glassy-Wigned Sharpshooter as it is a vector of Pierce’s disease.
Please take the time to review these important changes. To view them in more detail, please visit the ODA website at: http://www.oregon.gov/oda/Pages/default.aspx.
Link to Grape Quarantine: 603-052-0051_072462014CLEAN
Link to Glassy-Wigned Sharpshooter: 603-052-1221_07242014CLEAN
Rust mites can be a nuisance pest and require careful monitoring and assessment. Check out the post below written by Dr. Patty Skinkis, Viticulture Extension Specialist & Associate Professor, which provides information on how to deal with these pests.
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Monitoring Vineyards for Grape Rust Mites in Late Summer
Dr. Patty Skinkis, Viticulture Extension Specialist & Associate Professor
Grape rust mites have been a nuisance pest in vineyards of western Oregon for years. They can be found living on grape tissues from early spring through summer. During late summer and into fall, they retreat to overwintering sites in the bark and bud scales. The grape rust mite has been known to cause shoot deformity early in the growing season and stippling of leaves as they advance into the upper canopy in summer. If populations are very high (hundreds to thousands per fully expanded leaf), the leaf tissue can begin to discolor, starting to turn a dark green, then purplish and finally a bronzed color in late summer to early fall. This discoloration can lead to reduced photosynthetic ability of the vines if a large percentage of the vine’s leaf area is damaged.
Monitoring for signs and symptoms of rust mite infestation are important to do throughout the season. However, determining the presence of grape rust mites in your vineyard now (late August and early September) will help determine whether control methods are warranted the following season. We developed a user-friendly method by which to monitor grape rust mites on vine tissues, and this method has since been employed by growers in Oregon to determine presence of rust mites. The protocol for this method is available for use:
Using this method, we were able to determine a strong correlation of stippling symptoms to rust mite presence on small shoots and leaves. The greater the stippling severity on the leaf, the greater the number of rust mites. The bronzing of leaves was also associated with high rust mite numbers, but the symptom was associated with feeding later in the summer on older leaf tissues. Now is your last chance to monitor your vineyards for these symptoms and verifying mite presence before the hustle of harvest. For examples of these symptoms, see the grape rust mite section of the PNW Insect Management Handbook.
If you find significant rust mite damage and presence, it is best to make note of those vineyard blocks that are most damaged and consider your management options for the future. In some cases, you may want to reevaluate your in-season fungicide program, as sulfur has been found to be effective at reducing or maintaining low rust mite populations. Also, it is best to know the infestation status of your vineyard now so that plans can be made to monitor and take action against rust mites shortly after bud break the following spring. Current recommendations exist for early season rust mite control, and those can be found in the pest management guide released by OSU Extension each spring.
For more information about monitoring for rust mites and management, see the following publications and resources:
Schreiner, R.P., P.A. Skinkis, and A.J. Dreves. 2014. A rapid method to assess grape rust mites on leaves and observations from case studies in Western Oregon vineyards. HortTechnology. 24: 38-47.
Skinkis, P.A., J.W. Pscheidt, E. Peachey, A. Dreves, V.M. Walton, D. Sanchez, I. Zasada, and B. Martin. 2014. 2014 Pest Management Guide for Wine Grapes in Oregon. OSU Extension Publishing. http://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/1957/45975/em8413.pdf
Skinkis, P. 2014. Grape Rust Mites, eXtension/eViticulture.org. http://www.extension.org/pages/33107/grape-rust-mite#.U_yZCHcXOVo
Skinkis, P., J. DeFrancesco, and V. Walton. 2014. Grape Rust Mite, PNW Insect Management Handbook. http://insect.pnwhandbooks.org/small-fruit/grape/grape-grape-rust-mite
The Oregon Wine Board will be sponsoring the annual Oregon Wine Industry Symposium in Portland on February 25 & 26. This event is designed to provide the wine industry with relevant, up-to-date information, and techniques for grape growers and winemakers alike. This event gathers people from Oregon’s various wine regions together to network and share ideas to improve their businesses.
This year, the Symposium is offering Spanish sessions. Both days, all Viticulture and General Sessions will be translated in real time by professionals. Attendees will get a full Symposium experience as well as a deeper, richer educational opportunity.
To view a flyer about the Spanish session, please click here.