With the grape harvest season at full throttle, there is still a need to remember that 2021 is just around the corner. This week is a gentle reminder that disease pressure will likely increase as the 2020 growing season comes to an end. As a walked through vineyards this week I noticed downy mildew starting to take hold even after …

Contents of the September Issue: Consumer Behavioral Trends More Long-Term Demand for California Raisins? Fresno State Grape Day University Delivers Vital Info Via Webinar Format The American Grapevine Grape Industry News Briefs California Michigan Missouri Minnesota New York North Carolina Oregon Texas Virginia Washington

With the California table grape season in full swing and expectations for a positive season as the backdrop, the California Table Grape Commission revised its estimate for the 2020 table grape crop to 104.9 million 19-pound boxes, down from its April estimate of 106.5 million. The final harvest in 2019 was 104.99 million 19-pound boxes. “Estimating the crop is a …

Contents of the August Issue: The Best Place to Grow Pinot Noir Bill & Lauren Hipp Retire After a Joyous Experience Sustainable Vineyard Pest Management Experts Tell of Tech Innovations Coastal Wine Industry Struggles COVID-19 Market Favors Value-Priced Wines Heroine of the Vineyards Rhonda Smith Wraps up Career

Fruit World Co., a family-owned, flavor-focused grower-shipper of organic and conventional fruit and the largest California grower of organic Thomcord grapes, has announced that it expects to begin shipping this popular variety the first week of August in new high-graphic 2 lb recyclable paper totes. Known for being especially aromatic and flavorful, Thomcord grapes are a hybrid of Concord and …

Drosophila and Sour Rot Management University of Georgia Viticulture Extension — I just wanted to alert everyone that spotted wing drosophila (SWD) management timing is approaching soon. The SWD flies are active nearly year round in these parts, but near veraison as the brix levels in wine grapes reach approximately 15 degrees Brix, the grapes become attractive (and thus susceptible) to SWD. While …

White, yellow or brown blotches on fruit raise alarm bells, but they may be sunburn rather than a disease or chemical injury. This article lay out clues to identifying fruit damage as sunburn or another issues. Hot weather, strong sunlight, and low humidity are a recipe for sunburn on fruit crops. But another key ingredient is at play here too, …

Japanese beetle numbers continue to increase in the weekly trap counts conducted by University of Minnesota researchers in Forest Lake, Hastings, Chanhassen, and Rosemount. As infestations increase on farms, growers should be vigilant about control in order to prevent extensive leaf damage. Review of Pesticide Options for Japanese Beetles Japanese beetles release an aggregation pheromone to attract others. Therefore, early control is …

The two diseases discussed below have one thing in common, both Sour rot and Bitter rot can infect grape berries in which the skin has been compromised. That is their only commonality. Bitter Rot Over the past couple of years, the incidence of Bitter rot appears to be increasing at least by visual observation. In many cases, Bitter rot seems …

Fungal pathogens, like the ones present in many specialty crops, often change over time. This means, for example, that resistance to certain fungicides might also vary from year to year. Improved knowledge about which types of pathogens are present will allow growers to invest in the most cost-effective disease management strategies. Timothy Miles, assistant professor and Extension specialist in the …