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By: Maria Smith, HCS-OSU

In our last post, we announced the return of GeoVine, a GIS-based vineyard site assessment tool that is currently maintined by the Virginia Tech Center for Geospaitial Information Technology. This tool is supported for users in Virginia, Maryland, and now Ohio. The webinar on December 15 was recorded and can be viewed here. If, after watching the video and exploring the tool, you still have questions or suggestions for additional parameter estimates, please send your comments to cgitsupport@vt.edu. The following write-up will provide my re-cap and experiences using the tool, benefits, and caveats to use.

Site access for Ohio stakeholders: https://geovine.cgit.vt.edu/vineyards/

So, let's get started...

What is GeoVine?:

GeoVine is a tool that aggregates publicly available data provided from regional weather stations, USDA soil surveys, and other databases to provide a broad overview of site suitablity for vineyard plantings. In essence, GeoVine simplifies the task of investigating your site's characteristics. It can provide valuable insights into climatic suitability for grape varieties and highlight factors that may impede the success of a new vineyard.

While GeoVine gives a good generalization of site suitability, it does not provide all site-specific information or recommendations that would be needed for properly preparing a site, such as soil analyses for fertilization/pH amendments and tile drainage recommendations. It is also limited in its ability to determine variety compatibility for your site. You are encouraged to consult with us, your County Extension, and County NRCS services for further details into your site and variety selection.

How to use Geovine?:

Loading the site brings you to this main page. The tool can be used without registering, however, registering an account enables editing of site boundaries and saving of all site vineyard reports.

Fig 1. GeoVine home page. Registration, login, and management of site reports can be found at the top in the red menu bar.

Developing a new vineyard report:

To obtain a new vineyard report, select “Vineyard Manager” in the top menu and click “New Vineyard” from the drop-down list. This page then shows you all current regions where GeoVine is available.

Fig 2. “Create a New Vineyard” page under “Vineyard Management”

Entering your site name or clicking on the state of interest allows you to locate your vineyard either through scrolling or (more easily), entering your address information in the top right corner of the page. Note: the view of the map itself can be changed to show satellite view, streets/roads, and current AVAs by changing the “Basemaps” and “Layers” that are shown.

Fig. 3 Locating your site on the map.

Drawing the boundary

Once you have found your site of interest on the map, you can select out the parcel for which you wish to develop a report by using the “draw new boundary” tool on the left side-menu. This boundary tool allows you to select any area that is a closed polygon, with a single mouse click indicating a new directional change, and a double-click (or click back on the first blue dot) to close the boundary. This boundary can then be edited or deleted if you wish to select a different area or modify the existing area. Note: You can only generate one report per boundary area. Other areas of interest within your sites will require you to create another “new vineyard”.

Fig 4. An example of a closed boundary created using the “draw boundary” tool.

Once you have clicked “done”, you can then generate a report for that area. According to Peter Sforza at CGIT-VT, this can take several minutes depending on the queue for their server use. In my experience, this is usually under 5 minutes, so please be patient with the spinning red ring!

GeoVine features the ability to provide daily forecasts for your site based on the closest regional weather station. This feature is automatically enabled but can be easily be turned off depending on your needs.

Understanding the report

Vineyard site reports contain approximately 18 pages worth of data, data sources, and convenient definitions so that you can interpret your own results. Again, the key to using this resource is to keep in mind that GeoVine output is only as good as the data sources that feed it. While GeoVine provides a very reasonable guide to base decisions, you are the ultimate final say in your site selection, variety selection, and planting preparation. Make sure you are using all of the available resources and references to you before finalizing your decisions.

Fig 5. Example cover page for Vineyard Report output

OK, so let’s review some of the major items to consider when interpreting the output from Geovine, starting from page 1.

1. The site selection area is “planar”. Therefore, it does not represent topographical contributions to area. Use an accurate on-site survey for the proposed planting area. You will NOT be estimating correctly using the planar area on the page
2. CEC, Bulk Density, organic matter, and pH are estimates from past soil surveys. Depending on previous land use and management, these values may differ. It is always recommended to obtain new soil analyses prior to planting and once every 3 years after planting to maintain your soil conditions for vine health.
3. The climate data reflect averages dating back to 1980. Therefore, it will not account for weather extremes that have happened prior to 1980. It is also not site-specific microclimate conditions, which would require an onsite weather station. That means the climate data would not capture the propensity for some issues such as winter cold injury and spring frost, which are very dependent on the topography of your site (this info is included in the report, though!).
4. The variety suitability list provided is not exhaustive and does not consider sensitivity to winter extremes (extremes and frequency of them are not provided in the report). The probability for events down to 14 °F are reported but remember that midwinter bud injury does not generally occur until temps < 0 °F in Ohio for the most sensitive Vinifera. Also, the variety list does not take into account your risk tolerance for seasonal variability. That means, in general, some varieties in the report may appear to not attain optimal maturity based on season length in an “average” year for your site, but if you are willing to accept that risk for the vintages that do and have a plan in the winery to deal with suboptimal fruit maturity, then that is your prerogative.
5. Slope and land suitability: “Unsuitable” does not necessarily mean unsuitable – less desirable was considered the better term. However, > 15% grade should generally be avoided for planting just from a practicality standpoint.

That said, GeoVine is a very useful tool in determining GENERAL site and variety suitability. I have had a lot of fun playing around with it over the past week or so and have found it informative when considering issues that a grower may encounter with a potential site. Whether you are planting new acreage or are curious about your current site, we encourage you to take the time to thoroughly explore the tool. If you have any questions regarding your output, please do not hesitate to contact us

By: Maria Smith, HCS-OSU

Yesterday, the Ohio Department of Agriculture released a press statement regarding the first population of the invasive Spotted Lanternfly (SLF; Lycorma delicatula) found in Mingo Junction along the Ohio River. Please view the statement below along with the following information for continued public monitoring for this insect over the winter months.

If you suspect a sighting of SLF in Ohio, file a report immediately with ODA at https://agri.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/oda/divisions/plant-health/invasive-pests/slf or by calling the ODA Plant Pest Control line at 614-728-6400. The link to high-resolution photos for media use can be found here.

Monitoring SLF into the fall and winter

Our goal is to delay SLF establishment within Ohio and minimize population growth. We can do this with public help in monitoring and reporting any suspected sightings of this insect currently in its adult form and throughout the winter months by being on the lookout for egg masses. It is important to be also be vigilant for any hitchhikers if you are planning to visit or have visitors/materials that have traveled from known regions with established SLF populations. A current map of SLF distribution may be found at https://nysipm.cornell.edu/environment/invasive-species-exotic-pests/spotted-lanternfly/.

To identify SLF, it's crucial to understand how it appears at various stages of its lifecycle. SLF exhibits only one life cycle per year, with adults that lay eggs beginning in the late summer through fall seasons. Adult SLF are approximately 1 to 1.5" in length with wings closed and 1.5 to 2" in length with wings open. They are known for their distinct coloring and patters (Image 1). During this time, live adults may be found feeding on a range of host plants, although their most preferred host is tree-of-heaven (Ailanthus altissima; Image 2). At the end of the female lifecycle, SLF lay gray, putty-like egg masses on trees or other hard surfaces such as grills, lawn furniture, trailers, etc. (Image 3). These egg masses may contain between 30 to 50 eggs which will hatch during the spring months. For additional details on identifying all life stages, please visit the OSU Extension SLF Factsheet at https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/anr-83.

Image 1. Adult SLF wing open (top) and wings closed (bottom). Photos are sourced from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (www.bugwood.org) and published in ANR-83 at https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/anr-83.

Image 2. Leaves and seeds of tree-of-heaven, and invasive and weedy tree species from SE Asia. Image source and descriptions can be found at https://bygl.osu.edu/node/1346

Image 3: SLF egg mass example. Photo source: https://news.psu.edu/story/613936/2020/04/02/impact/extension-educators-offer-tips-managing-spring-spotted-lanternfly-egg

By: Maria Smith, HCS-OSU

Weather:

Precipitation: Much of August has followed July, with warm, dry conditions. It has only been in the past couple of weeks that we have begun seeing a reprieve from this pattern (Fig. 1). Notably, southern Ohio has had several large storms come through, alleviating previous drought conditions (Fig. 2). In contrast, northwestern and portions of central Ohio have continued remaining dry.

Here in Wooster, we had a combined total of 4.25” of rain throughout August across 8 days of measurable precipitation. Approximately 30% of that accumulated total came from a single 1.31” event on August 28 from the remnants of hurricane Laura (www.newa.cornell.edu). Despite that event, Wooster and much of northern Ohio were still at or below the 30-year average precipitation for the month (Fig. 1).    

Figure 1. Accumulated precipitation during the past 30 days (left) and accumulated precipitation departure from the 30-year average (right). Figures retrieved from https://climate.osu.edu/climate-tools/climate-maps-ohio.

Figure 2. Ohio drought monitor for 1 Sep 2020. Figure retrieved from https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?OH.

Temperature: A clear delineation between eastern and western Ohio could be made for temperature trends (Fig. 3). All but the northeast corner of northern Ohio continued July’s trend of above long-term average temperatures by 1-3 °F, while southern and western Ohio tended to be closer to average temperatures.

Figure 3. Maximum, minimum, and average temperatures during the past 30 days (top), and their respective departures from the 30-year average (bottom). Figures retrieved from https://climate.osu.edu/climate-tools/climate-maps-ohio.

In the vineyard:

Harvest has begun for several of the early-season varieties over the past couple of weeks. While we were grateful to get the rain to help stave off any potential berry shrivel from the summer drought, awaiting anymore right now seems to walk a fine line between “okay, this is fine” and “harvest that fruit now”.

The ability to wait out rain events should largely be determined around your fruit’s proximity to maturity, overall fruit quality (i.e., are the berries healthy and intact or are you noticing wounding, splitting, rot, or other issues that significant rain would worsen?), and the size of the anticipated rain event. Thankfully, the season has been generous so far in limiting disease pressure and allowing us to get to this point with overall healthy fruit. If you are new to tracking your fruit maturity and deciding your harvest date, please see our resources from Dr. Imed Dami and Diane Kinney: Fruit maturity factsheet and 2020 Fruit maturity updates - OARDC Wooster.

One concern for this fall that has recently caught my attention is bird pressure. Afterall, what would 2020 be without a real-life version of Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds, right? Several growers have reported much higher than normal bird pressure and damage over the past couple of weeks. Indeed, I observed this myself during our first harvest with ‘Marquette’ last week where robins were seen trapping themselves up and under the fastened bird netting. The concern, of course, is both in yield loss and in creating wound sites for sour rot and Botrytis development. If you are in search of options for bird control, check out this comprehensive factsheet from UNH: https://extension.unh.edu/resources/files/Resource001797_Rep2514.pdf. In general, we advocate netting as the most traditional, reliable control method. However, we recognize that different operations have different limitations, and there are various methods on the market that are worth exploring.

Lastly, if you are planning for new vineyard plantings, now through October is an ideal time to get underway with vineyard site preparation. This includes tile installation, soil decompaction, plowing, weed control, pH and some nutrient amendments, and sowing ground cover. The soil is still very warm from the summer heat, but the cooling days should bring about higher soil moisture, which makes for easier cultivation and sod establishment.

By Maria Smith, HCS-OSU

Veraison, or the onset of ripening, marks the home stretch of the growing season (Fig. 1). At this stage, berries change colors, soften, and swell with water and sugars. During ripening, vines are heavily taxed by the fruit’s carbohydrate, water, and nutrient demands. In the case that one or more of these 3 vine resources are limited, both fruit maturity and vine vegetation can visibly suffer.

Fig. 1 Early veraison indicated by color change from green to red in Marechal Foch. July 27, 2020.

While this growing season hasn’t been as stressful for disease management as 2018 and 2019, we have had notably dry weather over more than a 2 month stretch. This has brought about “abnormally dry” to “moderate drought” conditions that now cover nearly 85% of the state (Fig. 2). For young vines, this has driven a need for irrigation throughout this growing season to aid in establishing root systems and canopy growth, and for both young and mature vines, a need to keep a closer eye on changes to vine nutrient status (Fig. 3).

 
Fig. 2: Drought conditions for Ohio, as of 7/30/2020 (source: https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?OH)

Fig. 3: Leaf chlorosis example in 2-year-old vines. July 27, 2020.

Chlorosis in basic terms means a yellowing of leaves due to the loss of chlorophyll (the molecules responsible for light absorption during photosynthesis). Several reasons may explain chlorosis, including nutrient deficiency and drought stress. Visual symptoms aid in detecting acute issues with the vine, but ultimately for remediating nutrient deficiencies, vine nutrient status should be assessed to determine whether and which deficiencies are the exact cause.

Why vine nutrient status? Soil testing is great for identifying availability and, in the case of pH, accessibility of nutrients (it should still be performed regularly every 3-5 years), but it does not tell you what is in the actual vine. That’s where petiole tissue testing enters. Long-term nutrient management is best when the two are used together to develop an annual fertilization management plan.

As a reminder, veraison is the preferred time to sample and test for vine nutrient status (regardless of symptoms) due to the relative stability of nutrient concentrations. For details on how to sample, recommended values and testing facilities, please see the following resources:

• OSU factsheet on Grapevine Nutrient Management: https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/hyg-1438
• Taking foliar samples in vineyards and orchards (UMN Extension): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyPs1rTFoNc&t=2s

Fixing nutrient deficiencies now. Is it too late?

Veraison is about the last point of the growing season that fertilization should be done to avoid delaying or harming vine acclimation in the fall. For acute deficiencies, foliar fertilization with soluble formulations is ideal for quickest uptake. Additionally, late-season foliar applications of urea (46-0-0), especially under drought conditions, may increase yeast assimilable nitrogen (YAN) in fruit at harvest. Stuck/sluggish fermentations and hydrogen sulfide by-products that generate “rotten egg” aromas can often be attributed to low YAN. However, baseline YAN values for a given cultivar and site should be understood before using foliar urea as a means of adjusting YAN values in fruit.

Foliar applications are temporary band-aids and do not adequately address chronic deficiencies. It is best to avoid deficiencies altogether through routine monitoring of soil and vine nutrition and annual soil fertility maintenance.

The list below addresses commonly observed deficiencies and remediations via foliar fertilizing. These recommendations are only intended as a short-term solution to situations where deficiencies have been clearly identified through tissue testing and/or visual symptoms. In general, a healthy vineyard with routine soil fertility maintenance does not benefit from additional foliar fertilization, and its use may create unnecessary management costs. We additionally suggest avoiding the use of commercial mixed-nutrient products for foliar fertilizer, as they may either provide insufficient quantities of a target nutrient or unnecessary additions of others. When applying any fertilizer, applicators must be careful in calculating rates to avoid excess fertilization and, with foliar application, burning vines. Tank mixing foliar fertilizers and pesticides may cause phytotoxicity. Consult all labels and/or spot-test before applying to all vines.

Nitrogen (N):  

• No. applications: 3x
• Rate: 5 lbs urea (2.3 lbs N) per 100 gallons water, applied at 200 gallons per acre

Potassium (K): 

• No. applications: 1x
• Rate: 6-10 lbs potassium sulfate (0-0-53) or chloride (0-0-63) per 100 gallons water, apply at 200 gallons per acre

*Note: excess K additions can result in Mg deficiencies and lead to high pH in fruit.

Phosphorous (P): Foliar application is not recommended

Magnesium (Mg):

• No. applications: 2x, 1 then again after 2 weeks (bloom time preferred for first application)
• Rate: 16 lbs Epsom salts per 100 gallons water, applied at 200 gallons per acre

Boron (B): 

• No. applications: 2x (pre-bloom to bloom time preferred for application)
• Rate: 1-2 lbs Solubor (20% B) per acre