What's HOT in Grape Production and Research
(Updated 15 May 2009)
New! A
new winegrape production guide, edited by Tony Wolf, is now available
through NRAES, entitled Winegrape
Production Guide for Eastern North America. This comprehensive reference will be
used by novice and experienced growers, crop advisors, service
providers, educators, communicators, and students. It provides
information on all aspects of wine grape culture including site
selection and preparation, trellising and pruning, disease and pest
identification, nutrient management, irrigation, pesticide application,
harvesting, vineyard cost and returns, and grape sales. This 336-page guide is available at the NRAES web site
for $75.00.
New! A
new active ingredient has been labeled on fruit crops. See
rynaxypyr, or Altacor, listed below under pesticide registrations
New!
The
College of Agriculture and Life Science at Virginia Tech has
established a new on-line Master's in Agriculture
and Life Sciences. This curriculum has been
approved by the State Council of Higher Education and is now accepting
applications for Fall semester 2007. In this program, you can
earn
a
master's degree in agriculture while working in your current job -
emphasis is on education for place-bound learners, and all courses are
taken on-line. In addition to a core area, there are courses
offered in five areas of concentration: (1) Biosecurity,
Bioregulations and Public Health, (2) Education, (3) Environmental
Science, (4) Food Safety, and (5) Plant Science and Pest
Management. In addition to course work, the student completes a
project decided upon in consultation with your major advisor.
Lists
of courses within each concentration may be found in the web site
linked above. This program was recently the subject of an interview
by Jeff Ishee with Virginia Public Televsion's Virginia
Farming. For
more information, contact Doug Pfeiffer (dgpfeiff at vt.edu) or Sharon Proffitt (sproffit at vt.edu) (see
2008-2009 Extended Campus tuition
rates).
2009
Vineyard
Meetings:
Northern
Piedmont:
(meetings start at 11:00 AM. Watch for further details).
Call Rappahonnock County Office for more details, unless otherwise
noted (540-675-3619)
April 19,
Toll Gate Farm & Vineyard,
Bill and Patty Freitag Topics - Early Season
Disease Control – Dr. Tony Wolf, Virginia Tech
Viticulturist, Seasonal
Insect Control Updates,
Pesticide
Recordkeeping Requirements and PMGs.
Apr 29, 2:00
p.m.
Horton
Vineyard and Winery,
Gordonsville
(meet at the Winery) Dennis and
Sharon Horton. Topics –
Early Season Disease Control
– Dr. Mizuho Nita, Virginia Tech
Grape
Pathologist, Seasonal
Viticultural Management - Virginia
Tech Viticulturist, Dr. Tony Wolf, Weed Suppression and Control – Dr.
Jeff Derr, Virginia Tech Extension Weed Scientist, Horticulture Crops, Pesticide Recordkeeping Requirements
and PMGs, Directions
From Culpeper: Take
29 South to Ruckersville, then left onto 33 East; the winery is 8
miles on the left
May 13,
Glane
Manor, Jeff
White. Topics –
Seasonal Viticulture Considerations
Vineyard Cover Crops, Tony Wolf,
Virginia
Tech Viticulturist, Seasonal
Disease Control – Dr. Mizuho
Nita, Virginia Tech Grape Pathologist, Insect Scouting - Dr. Doug Pfeiffer, Virginia Tech Entomologist, Directions Flint Hill - Follow Rt522 north
into Front Royal. Turn left at first traffic
light and proceed straight to “T” intersection with traffic
light. Turn
left onto Rt340 south. Turn left at second traffic light, Rt649, Browntown Road.
The winery entrance is 5 beautiful mountain miles ahead on the left, 2244 Browntown Road.
June 3, Linden Vineyards, Jim Law. Topics – Seasonal
Viticulture Management, Dr. Tony Wolf,
Virginia Tech Viticulturist, Seasonal Disease Control Update
– Dr. Mizuho Nita, Virginia Tech Grape Pathologist, Entomology Update
-- Dr. Doug Pfeiffer,
Virginia Tech Entomologist. Directions From Flint
Hill: Rappahannock County: 522 North for 5 miles. Right on Route
635 for 2.4 miles. Left on Route 726 for 3.5 miles (portion unpaved).
Left on
Route 638 for.2 miles. Winery on left.
June 24, Doukenie Vineyard:
Contact
Leslie Blischak for details (703)-737-8978. Directions From Leesburg: Route 7
West, and stay on it for 5 miles to Route 9 West (Hillsboro/Charles
Town exit). Go 7.3 miles on Route 9, then turn right on Mountain Rd
(Route 690 North). Drive 1 mile
to Doukénie Winery on the left.
Aug 5, Alson H. Smith AREC. Overview of the
Viticulture
Research Program and Crop Estimations, Dr.
Tony Wolf,
Virginia Tech Viticulturist, Pre/ Post
Harvest Disease Management Strategies – Dr. Mizuho
Nita, Virginia Tech Grape
Pathologist, WPS Review/Update (emhpasis
on REIs and PHIs). Directions: From
Interstate-81, take the Stephens
City exit on the
south
side of Winchester.
Go west into Stephens
City (200 yards
off of
I-81) and proceed straight through traffic light onto Rt 631. Continue
west on
Rt 631 approximately 3.5 miles. Turn right (north) onto Rt 628 at
"T". Go 1.5 miles north on Rt 628 and turn left (west) onto Rt 629.
Go 0.8 miles to AREC on left.
Central
Piedmont:
(meetings start at 11:00 AM) Call
Michael
Lachance for more details (434-263-4035). May 20
Please plan to come and meet with other commercial wine grape growers
and Extension specialists. It will begin at my office at the Nelson Center, just south of Food
Lion on Thomas Nelson Highway (Hwy 29). After we have lunch we will visit one or more
vineyards in the Lovingston area. You are welcome
to bring vine disease samples, problem weeds and insects for
identification and control recommendation. This will be a bag-lunch program so please
bring your own lunch. We wil have the central auditorium to sit
down in. Cold drinks will be provided. June 5 -
Site TBA. July 16 -
Site TBA. August 5 -
Site TBA.
Imidan restrictions
in vineyards:
There has been
confusion regarding the advisability of the
use of Imidan in vineyards. In 2006, the Restricted Entry
Interval (REI)
was extended to 14 days. This makes Imidan impractical for most
grape
growers to use. In 2007, a label is posted on the newly
reformatted CDMS
web site, a source of pesticide labels and material safety data
sheets.
In some of these labels, a REI of 24 hours is given. This has
been the
source of confusion in the status of the REI for this product. This is an outdated label that is kept online
by CDMS because of certain requirements in California. It refers to the 70W formulation without
water soluble bags. Although the old
label is still posted, it is no longer supported by Gowan.
Only the formulation in water soluble bags is
supported. The REI of 14 days
for phosmet remains in effect. Virginia
grape growers will be notified if there is a possibility of this
changing,
particularly if there is an opportunity for public input.
azinphosmethyl:
Bayer agrees to Guthion phase-outs: Bayer
has
agreed to reducing fruit crops listed on the Guthion label. There
are 3 categories of label changes: (1) phased-out registrations
(cancelled 8/31/05, not to be used after 12/31/05): nectarine, peach,
and
caneberries. (2) time-limited registrations (cancelled 12/31/05
unless new data justify continuation): apple, blueberry, cherry, and
pear;
(3) cancelled registrations: grape, plum, quince, and
strawberry
(not to be sold after 1
September 2002;
existing
stocks may be used). On
7 Dec 2005,
EPA
announced the availability of its azinphosmethyl ecological
risk assessment and grower
impact assessment (posted
at http://www.regulations.gov; search on the docket
ID number EPA-HQ-OPP-2005-0061). Comments must be received on or
before 6
Feb 2006. Further information will be posted here when available.
carbaryl - EPA announces
Interim
Reregistration Eligibility Decision (IRED -
this pdf exceeds 300p. See also 6-page fact
sheet)
for carbaryl on 10/27/04. On 30
March 2005, National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) requested
that EPA revoke
all tolerances for carbaryl. NRDC's letter
to EPA is posted (html).
EPA's
assessment of human health and environmental risks of carbaryl, and
finding on whether the tolerances for carbaryl comply with the safety
standard in FFDCA section 408, as amended by the FQPA, are contained in
the IRED document for carbaryl, which is available on EPA's website at http://www.epa.gov/edocket, under docket number
OPP-2003-0376. (More information on risk
assessment is available). The e-docket
for this issue has several items listed. On 13 Oct 06,
EPA announced a petition
from Washington Toxics has been received to cancel
all tolerances of carbaryl.
In the Regulations.gov
page, search on ID no. EPA-HQ-OPP-2006-0801. Following that link, one can also
find a link to the carbaryl IRED (Interim Reregistration Eligibility
Decision). Public comments are requested and must be received by 13
Nov 06.
Diazinon
uses cancelled by Syngenta, but... : IRED
of July 31, 2002,
proposed that
on most crops where use would be continued, applications would be
limited
to one per growing season. Grape uses would be cancelled.
A single dormant use is also proposed for cherry and pear, limited to
every
other year (unless pest pressure required annual application).
Use
on apple would be limited to woolly apple aphid, once a year. REI
in apple, apricot, cherry, nectarine, peach, pear, plums would be 4
days;
caneberries, blueberries and strawberries would be 5 days.
Diazinion
is highly toxic to birds. Granular formulations, the source of
most
bird mortality, would be cancelled. These proposed changes
have
not been adopted into label changes; current labeling will remain in
effect
at least until July 31, 2004. May 30, 2003 Syngenta
requests cancellations of all uses, effective June 30, 2003.
Syngenta
may not distribute after August 31. Retail supplies may be sold
until
supplies exhausted. However, Makhteshim-Agan intends to maintain
all allowable uses.
endosulfan
- On 29 Apr 09, EPA announced
that it had received a petition to cancel all used of endosulfan.
Comments must be received on or before 29 Jun 09. Submit your comments
throught
the Federal eRulemaking Portal,
identified by docket identification (ID) number EPA-HQ-OPP-2008-0615.
methomyl
- States of CA, MA, CN, NY have asked EPA to repeal
or modify tolerance, contending that 10-fold safety factor was not
used. Comments must be received by May 9, 2005; on May 16, this public
comment period was extended through 16 June 05.
spinetoram - A new active ingredient in the same
class as spinosad (SpinTor, Entrust) has been registered for fruit
crops. Delegate WG
is registered on pome and stone fruits, bushberries, caneberries and
grape. Radiant SC
is the formulation registered on strawberries
For some industry discussion on FQPA changes and
issues, see Issues section of the CropLife America
web
site.
2009 Revisions to Commercial Vineyard Spray
Guide:
The revised Pest Management Guide for commercial
vineyards
is now available. (The Pest
Management
Guide is available
on-line
for free. Hard copies are also
available for $6.00 plus $5.27 shipping. Call 540-231-1322).
Recommendations for grapes
are also available in the web page, now updated to 2009.
2009 Revisions to Home Fruit Spray Guide:
The revised Pest Management Guide for Home
Grapevines
is now available. (The Pest
Management
Guide is available
on-line
for free. Hard copies are also
available for $5.00 plus $5.27 shipping. Call 540-231-1322).
Recommendations for home
vines are also available in the web page, now updated to 2008.
New Viticulture link in Virginia Fruit Page:
The link for viticultural information now leads to Viticulture
Notes, a bimonthly newsletter by Tony
Wolf of Virginia Tech's Alson H. Smith Agricultural Research and
Extension
Center in Winchester. This site provides information on general
viticultural
topics, as well as information on upcoming educational meetings.
Vineyard and Winery Festivals:
In the VDACS Wine Web Site, there is a listing of Virginia
Winery Festivals
Back to Vineyard
page
Back to Mid-Atlantic
Regional Fruit Loop
Send comments by e-mail to: Douglas
G. Pfeiffer