Scientists Ready to Shine a New Light on Grape LOVE
Selecting which type of grape to use is one of the most important decisions for new vineyard establishments and grower success, says Andrej Svyantek, an Oklahoma State University assistant Extension specialist in viticulture and enology.
“Grapevine cultivar selection at planting is one of the single most important decisions a producer can make,” Svyantek says. “Selecting an appropriate cultivar that can thrive in Oklahoma requires accounting for disease pressure, climate obstacles, ripening time and final wine objectives.”
That’s why Oklahoma State University is starting the Grape Library of Viticulture Extension – or Grape LOVE – to evaluate and disseminate performance of grapevine cultivars. The Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry awarded more than $32,000 to the OSU Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture for the project.
The project is the start of an expandable grapevine library to house materials from multiple U.S. breeding programs to study their potential with Oklahoma’s unique viticulture challenges. The Grape LOVE vineyard will serve as a resource for OSU students and growers through Extension efforts, including the Grape Management short course, field days and a new cultivar page on the OSU Viticulture and Enology website. The grape management course will expose producers to new and emerging grapevine cultivar options.
“The OSU Grape Library of Viticulture Extension will be the foundation for future grapevine cultivar recommendations for the Oklahoma viticulture and enology industry,” Svyantek says. “This project is important because cultivars drive success for many grapevine growers and wineries.”
Through the Grape LOVE vineyard, researchers will study cultivar susceptibility and resistance to Oklahoma’s viticultural obstacles, such as severe climate events, grapevine diseases and insect pests.
“The diversity of Oklahoma growing regions and the increase in grapevine cultivar options demand a thorough assessment of cultivar choices to ensure proper recommendation can be made based on scientific observations,” Svyantek adds. “For these reasons, grapevine cultivars will be purchased from breeding programs across the U.S.”
For more, continue reading at agresearch.okstate.edu.
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