By Clint Thompson Grape producers in north Alabama and north Georgia need to be wary of downy mildew disease. It has been confirmed in vonifera grapes in two separate Georgia locations, says Phil Brannen, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension fruit disease specialist. “My hope is that if folks are spraying well, if they’re actually effective in spraying the vines and …
Grape Producers Need To Tissue Sample Their Crop
By Clint Thompson The time is now for grape producers to tissue sample their crop, says Phil Brannen, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension fruit disease specialist. In doing so, growers can make any modifications to impact this year’s crop. “If you go ahead and get the sample now, you can do something about it. You can actually impact this year’s …
Potential Frost Damage Could Impact North Carolina Grape Production
By Clint Thompson Last weekend’s cold temperatures may have impacted North Carolina’s grape production this season. According to Mark Hoffmann, North Carolina State small fruits Extension specialist, he should know more in the upcoming days about the severity of any frost damage that may have occurred throughout the state. “The WineGrowers Association, they have a survey out to assess how …
Digital Resources Available for Specialty Crop Producers, Gardeners and Consumers
By Dr. Ayanava Majumdar, Extension Professor, Alabama Cooperative Extension System, Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, Auburn University The Alabama Extension Commercial Horticulture Team is comprised of 27 members in the horticulture and food production industry. Amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, we have to remember that food production or farming doesn’t stop; therefore, we have started some educational activities that …
Alabama Extension, Auburn University Partner With UC Davis in European Grape Studies
(ACES) — Alabama wine grape growers will soon have access to disease-resistant bunch grape varieties as new grape varieties send ripples through the entire wine-making community. For many years, Alabama’s commercial grape producers have been limited to native muscadine, American and French-American hybrid bunch grape cultivars. The limited access is due to heavy bacterial disease pressure that suffocates most European …
UF/IFAS Hosts First Muscadine Grape Field Day in Citra
By Karla Arboleda On July 16, growers visited the University of Florida’s (UF) Plant Science Research and Education Unit to hear about the future of the muscadine grape industry in Florida. About 130 attendees listened to presentations on cultural practices, potential health benefits and production methods for muscadine grapes. The native Florida crop has been gaining more popularity among growers …
Georgia Grape Growers Faced with Fungicide Resistance
The wine grape industry in Georgia is on the rise. While vineyards have been present in Georgia for the past four decades, the industry has been gaining significant traction in the last 10 to 15 years. Since the industry is relatively new, it is still fragile and some of the challenges, like downy mildew resistance, are unpredictable. Downy mildew is …
Florida Hop Production Appears Promising
Findings from the Gulf Coast Research and Education Center hop trials are helping make strides in this new frontier. By Zhanao Deng, Shinsuke Agehara, Gary Vallad, Hugh Smith and Johan Desaeger Hops are an essential ingredient of beer. Breweries use different varieties and amounts of hops during the brewing process to attain the desirable levels of bitterness and flavors associated …
Spotted Wing Drosophila Spells Trouble for Grape Growers
By Breanna Kendrick Spotted wing drosophila (SWD) are small fruit flies that resemble the flies commonly seen indoors buzzing around rotting fruit. Adult male SWD have a little spot on each of their wings, making them easy to identify. Females are more difficult to identify. At the rear of the female SWD abdomen is an egg-laying structure called an ovipositor. …
FAMU Center Boosts Florida Viticulture Industry
“When the grapes are out, we are out,” said Violeta Tsolova, professor and director of the Center for Viticulture and Small Fruit Research at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU). She was referring to the researchers and students at the center working to help grape growers be successful in the Southeast viticulture industry. NATIVE GRAPES Growers in the Southeast have …