News from Cornell's Viticulture and Enology Program, August 2020
RESEARCH FOCUS
Variable-rate Mechanical Shoot Thinning in Concord Demonstrates the Practical Application of Precision Viticulture
Research associate Terry Bates and GIS specialist Rhiann Jakubowski used variable-rate mechanical shoot thinning based on NDVI data to create a giant "C" in a Concord block at the Cornell Lake Erie Research and Extension Laboratory in Portland NY, to illustrate practical use of precision viticulture methods for managing crop load.
FACULTY FOCUS
Five Questions for Yu Jiang
Yu Jiang joined the Horticulture Section at Cornell AgriTech as an Assistant Research Professor of Systems Engineering and Data Analytics for Specialty Crops in December 2019. His research focus is to develop and deploy the latest sensing, automation, and computational technologies for specialty crop research and production.
STUDENT FOCUS
Cornell Students and Faculty Recognized by American Society for Enology and Viticulture
Students of Cornell's Viticulture and Enology program received several awards at the 2020 'virtual' ASEV conference.
GRAPES 101
The Core Grape Genome and Cheap DNA Sequencing: A New Roadmap for Grape Breeders
The VitisGen2 project, led by Cornell AgriTech professor Bruce Reisch, has developed detailed DNA mapping platform that will dramatically increase the use of 'marker-assisted selection' to streamline the grape breeding process.
EXTENSION FOCUS
Cornell Workforce Development and Cornell Farmworker Programs provide outreach on COVID-19 for farmworkers
Two Cornell Cooperative Extension farm labor programs are addressing the need for COVID-19 information. The Workforce Development program provides resources for farm managers, labor supervisors, and owners; the Farmworker Program provides programming directly addressing farmworkers' health, safety, social and educational needs in Spanish, English, and other languages.
RESEARCH IN PLAIN ENGLISH
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Grape mapping populations reveal genetic variation in bloom and fruit development
Bruce Reisch's three related mapping populations are helping discover genetic markers for a variety of traits such as timing of bloom and fruit development.
NEWS BRIEFS
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New York Wine and Grape Foundation: Cultivating wine and grape industry success with Cornell AgriTech
NY Wine and Grape Foundation president Sam Filler comments on the role of AgriTech research and extension in supporting the growth and sustainability of the New York industry. -
Grant to support research into grape downy mildew
Assistant professor of plant pathology Kaitlin Gold is collaborating with Michigan State plant pathologist Tim Miles and the Finger Lakes Grape Program's Hans Walter-Peterson on a new project to develop downy mildew resistance management for the "CAA" class of fungicides. -
Scientists track plant diseases riding across globe with dust
A multidisciplinary, Cornell-led team of scientists funded by NASA will combine their expertise in remote sensing, climate and earth system computer modeling, plant pathology (Katie Gold) and genomics to better understand how plant pathogens that travel the globe with dust particles might put crops at risk. -
Reopening guidelines for New York state tasting rooms during the COVID-19 pandemic
Cornell Craft Beverages Institute and Enology extension associates Chris Gerling and Anna Katharine Mansfield compiled resources for wineries and craft beverage producers reopening according to new COVID-19 guidelines. -
Swirl, Sip, Don't Spit: Tasting Behind the Mask (Part One)
This June 4 webinar presented by Chris Gerling and Anna Katharine Mansfield provided information regarding wine and craft beverage production facilities and tasting rooms under COVID-19 guidelines from the state of New York. -
Swirl, Sip, Don't Spit Revisiting Tasting Room Best Practices
On August 11, following new guidelines requiring food accompanying tasting of alcoholic beverages, Chris Gerling and Anna Katharine Mansfield presented another webinar with updated 'best practices' for tasting rooms.
FEATURED VIDEO
The Efficient Vineyard project demonstrates how variable-rate, GIS Map-based mechanical shoot thinning works
This video explains the mechanics of achieving variable rate shoot thinning controlled by a GIS vineyard map in a demonstration at a California vineyard.