Improving Northwest Michigan Horticulture Research Center for a Data Driven Wine Grape Extension Program
- Research Date
- 2018
- Authors
- Thomas Todaro
- Priorities
- Best Practices, Product Development
- Crop Categories
- Grapes
- Beverage Categories
- Wine
The goal of this project was to improve Northwest Michigan Horticulture Research Center’s (NWMHRC) capabilities to conduct applied research and address regional viticulture extension needs. Specific short-term objectives: 1.) Facilitate hands-on training of vineyard establishment, management, scouting, and use of fruit maturity equipment to research technician, 2.) Evaluate fruit maturity response of mature Riesling grapevines to various manual canopy management practices (vine spacing, pruning, leaf removal) at the NWMHRC research vineyard in 2018 and beyond, and 3.) Produce timely and consistent regional fruit maturity and insect activity reports to facilitate data driven viticultural and enological decisions. Specific long-term objectives: 1.) Generate and document fruit maturity curves with the aim to predict variety performance in NW Michigan, 2.) Develop vineyard or site-specific indices of optimal ripeness using Brix, pH, and TA parameters, and 3.) Generate publications of the vine performance at the new research vineyard to determine qualitative and quantitative protocols of principal varieties beginning in 2020-2021.