MULTI-STATE EVALUATION OF WINEGRAPE CULTIVARS AND CLONES

• Sponsoring Institution: National Institute of Food and Agriculture
• Project Status: COMPLETE
• Funding Source: HATCH
• Reporting Frequency: Annual
• Accession No.: 1003709
• Multistate No.: NE-1020
• Project Start Date: Oct 1, 2014
• Project End Date: Sep 30, 2017
• Program Code: [(N/A)]- (N/A)

Recipient Organization
PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY
208 MUELLER LABORATORY
UNIVERSITY PARK,PA 16802

Performing Department
Plant Science

Non Technical Summary
1. Grapes are the leading fruit crop in the United States (U.S.). The U.S. is the fourth leading producer of grapes in the world. Latest USDA statistics (2000) show 946,450 acres of grapes (31.6% of all fruit acreage), compared to 830,000 acres of oranges (26 % U.S. total fruit acreage) and 444,700 acres of apples (14.8 % of total). Grapes are grown for many uses, but wine is the most important use. Percent utilization of U.S. produced grapes in 2001 in order of increasing use was: canning (0.4%), non-fermented juice (5.8%), fresh table grapes (13.1%), dried for raisins (25.3%) and wine (55.2%). The farm gate value of grapes in 2000 was over 3 billion dollars (36.3% of total non-citrus fruit value). As a processed use wine production adds considerable value. The market for wine grapes is increasingly global. A large share of the global wine market is based upon a few specific cultivars that consumers associate with high quality including, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot noir, Sauvignon blanc, and Syrah (Shiraz). Probably another 10 - 20 cultivars are recognized as being capable of producing superior quality table wine. There is considerable resistance in the world market to non-traditional cultivars. No wine cultivars developed through traditional breeding programs in the 20th or 21st century has become recognized in the international market place. Instead focus has been on improving the quality of a small set of cultivars that have been grown for hundreds of years. Because of climatic or disease restrictions there are wine grape growing regions of the U.S. that rely on non-Vinifera grapes or on inter-specific hybrids. These regions will improve their economic viability of their wine industries with information about the performance of new varietal material suitable to their growing conditions. The value of each successful introduction brings long-term benefits to the grower and winery community.This research project will test the performance of clones of the major global cultivars and of new or previously neglected wine grape cultivars in the different wine grape growing regions within the U.S. This work will improve the competitiveness of U.S. grape growers and wineries by providing performance and quality information that is much needed for planting decisions.2. Sites will be classified based on growing conditions/growing degree days and a pair of sentinel culitvars will be chosen that are typical of that growing conditions/growing degree days site. The sites chosen for PA will be the Fruit Research and Extension Center in Biglerville and the Lake Erie Regional Grape Research and Extension Center in North East. Twenty cultivars will be planted at FREC and 18 at LERGREC. There will be six replications of four vine panels. Standard viticultural characteristics such as cane pruning weight, nodes retained at pruning, shoots per vine, shoot length, shoot weight, leaf area, yield per vine, clusters per vine, cluster morphology, berry weight, pest predation and disease status and cold hardiness. Vine phenology will be recorded. Wines will be produced with standard protocols developed by the guidance committee. Sufficient wine will be produced so that wines from different regions can be evaluated at several locations, and examples may be presented to stakeholders.

Animal Health Component

80%

Research Effort Categories

Basic

20%

Applied

80%

Developmental

(N/A)

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
204	1131	1060	100%

Knowledge Area
204 - Plant Product Quality and Utility (Preharvest);

Subject Of Investigation
1131 - Wine grapes;

Field Of Science
1060 - Biology (whole systems);

Keywords

grapes

vitis vinifera

vitis sp.

cultivar

wine grapes

yield

cluster weight

Goals / Objectives
Evaluate the viticulture characteristics and wine quality potential of clones of economically significant cultivars throughout the USA. Characterize the viticultural and wine quality potential of emerging cultivars based on regional needs.

Project Methods
Cultivars and clones of potential economic value will be selected and grouped based on interest and need for various states and regions. Although not every item will be tested in every site, all items will be tested over a range of sites so that genotypic influences may be distinguished from environmental influence. All vines will be propagated from a single source. Vitis vinifera cultivars shall be grafted to 101-14 rootstock. Where phylloxera is not endemic, non-grafted vines will be included for comparison. French hybrids will be planted as own rooted cuttings. Plantings will consist of six replicated four vine panels spaced at 6'x9' (807 vines/acre). Vineyard establishment and management will be based on Best Management Practices (BMP) for the production area where the trial is being conducted. The goal will be to produce disease free, ripe fruit for evaluation. Standard viticultural measurements will be collected each year at each site. Examples are: cane pruning weight, nodes retained at pruning, shoots per vine, shoot length, shoot weight, leaf area, yield per vine, clusters per vine, cluster morphology, berry weight, pest predation and disease status and cold hardiness. Vine phenology will be recorded. Berry sampling will be used to determine harvest date. After harvest, fruit sub-samples will be analyzed for juice soluble solids, pH, total acidity, color and organic acids (tartaric, malic, acetic). The guidance committee will specify the full compliment of components to be measured and the methods to be used. Wines will be produced with standard protocols developed by the guidance committee. Sufficient wine will be produced so that wines from different regions can be evaluated at several locations, and so that examples may be presented to stakeholders.Standard wine analyses, such as pH, TA, residual sugar, color, free/total SO2, malic, lactic, tartaric, and acetic acids, will be performed. The guidance committee will specify the exact components and methods to be used. Sensory analysis will be conducted regionally. Wines from each site will be evaluated at each testing center. Tasting methodology, wine descriptors, evaluator training and testing will be specified by the guidance committee. Sufficient wine will be produced so that presentations can be made to stakeholders in the various production regions. An expert in sensory analysis will be invited to join the technical committee.

Progress 10/01/14 to 09/30/17

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience of this project includes wine grape growers, extension professionals and researchers at Penn State University and other academic institutions. The outcomes of the project were distributed to the target audiences through two peer-reviewed publications, newsletters, reports to sponsors, and presentations at extension meetings. Changes/Problems:The two cultivar evaluation vineyards established at the Lake Erie Grape Research and Extension Center and at the Fruit Research And Extension Center were removed in 2017 due to lack of funds for vineyard management and data collection. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Throughout the duration of the project Dr. Centinari trained one Ph.D. student (Ms. Maria Smith) and four M.S. students (Ms. Laura Homich, Ms. Suzanne Fleishman, Mr. Andrew Harner, Ms. Anne Klodd). Centinari has also been training four undergraduate students enrolled in independent studies. Drs. Crassweller and Centinari trained several undergraduate students summer intern from Penn State University. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results have been disseminated in the form of peer-reviewed scientific publications, online newsletter articles and presentations at in-state and out-of-state extension meetings and summer field days. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? During this reporting period, field and wine data collected over 5 years (2011-2015) at the two wine grape cultivar evaluation trials established in Erie county (Lake Erie Grape Research and Extension Center) and Adams county (Fruit Research And Extension Center) were analyzed and were summarized in one or more research articles. Thirty-six cultivars were evaluated at two sites: 36% Vitis hybrid and 64% Vitis vinifera cultivars. The data collected provides critical information on the viticulture performance and wine quality potential of established and emerging wine grape cultivars under the variable Pennsylvania (PA) environmental conditions. As the result of those multi-year wine grape cultivar evaluation trials, four research vineyards (approximately 0.5 acre each) were established at two Penn State Ag Experiment stations in 2015 and 2016 to further evaluate cultivars and clones (Marquette, Grüner Veltliner, Noiret, Riesling) that adapted well to PA climatic conditions and showed potential to produce high-quality wine. Noiret and Marquette (Vitis hybrids), two recently released and promising cultivars, are beingevaluated at the Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center to provide targeted production guidelines and quality standards for the grape and wine industry. Grüner Veltliner and Riesling (Vitis vinifera) cultivars will be evaluated at the Lake Erie Grape Research and Extension Center. Grüner V., mainly grown in Austria, is a relatively new cultivar for PA. It was first planted in the state around 2003 and since then has received increased industry attention as it adapts well to PA growing conditions and can be used to produce various styles of wine. Studies on this cultivar will focus on providing growers and wine producers with targeted recommendations that are needed to improve premium wine production. A clonal evaluation trial will be conducted for Riesling. Four Riesling clones (clones 90, 110, 198, 239) and two Riesling hybrids [Geisenheim 318 (Riesling x Chancellor), NY81 (Riesling x Cayuga)] will be evaluated for cold hardiness (primary bud survival), disease susceptibility (through inoculations with fungal pathogens and field observations under two fungicide programs), production, fruit and wine composition. Riesling clones were selected as among the most widely popular/best adapted in the northeastern US (from conversation with Cornell University Extension personnel). The Riesling hybrids were selected for comparison of their Riesling-like flavor, disease resistance, and cold hardiness with the clones. Throughout the duration of the project, a multi-year study was conducted to examine and compare black rot susceptibility (leaves and fruit) of several popular wine grape cultivars: Concord (Vitis labrusca), Vidal, Traminette, Elvira, Noiret, Corot noir, and Cayuga (Vitis hybrids) and Chardonnay (Vitis vinifera). Black rot of grape is a fungal disease very difficult to control with pesticides allowable for organic production. The purpose of this trial was to identify popular wine grape cultivars that would carry high levels of resistance to black rot and be most suitable for organic grape production in PA. Elvira and Vidal leaves were quite resistant to black rot, while Traminette and Chardonnay leaves were the most sensitive. Vidal fruit appeared to be least susceptible amongst the cultivars evaluated. This data suggests that Vidal, which is widely grown in PA, has potential for use in organic production systems where fungicide options for black rot control are poor to mediocre at best. Throughout the duration of the project, multi-year studies have been conducted at commercial vineyards in PA on two Vitis vinifera and two Vitis hybrid wine grape cultivars to assess how different varieties respond to frost protection strategies, as frost damage was identified as one of the major challenge to the economic sustainably of wine grape production in PA. Field trials were conducted on one Vitis vinifera and one Vitis hybrid at a commercial vineyard and at the Lake Erie Grape Research and Extension Center to assess the impact of crop load management practices on vine performance, fruit and wine quality, as well as cost of production. Finally, a study was conducted on Noiret (Vitis hybrid) to evaluate the effect of environmental and viticulture practices on the development of the black pepper aroma in the grapes and final concentration in wines.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Accepted Year Published: 2017 Citation: Centinari M, Gardner DM, Smith DE, Smith MS. Impact of Amigo oil and KDL on grapevine post-bud burst freeze damage, yield components, fruit and wine composition. American Journal of Enology and Viticulture.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Homich LJ, Elias RJ, Vanden Heuvel JE, Centinari M. (accepted). The impact of fruit-zone leaf removal on rotundone concentration in Noiret. American Journal of Enology and Viticulture. 68:447-457.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Centinari, M., Hed, B., & Kelley, K. (2016). Looking back at the 2016 season. https://psuwineandgrapes.wordpress.com/?s=Looking+back+at+the+2016+season.

Progress 10/01/15 to 09/30/16

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience of this project includes wine grape growers, extension professionals and researchers at Penn State University and other academic institutions. The outcomes of the project were distributed to the target audiences through two peer-reviewed publications, newsletters, reports to sponsors, and presentations at extension meetings. Changes/Problems:Due to lack of funding the variety trial at Fruit Research and Extension Center most likely will be discontinued. Other limited observational work will continue at the Lake Erie Regional Grape Research and Extension Center and at the Horticultural Research Farm at Rock Springs What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Dr. Centinari trained one Ph.D. student (Ms. Maria Smith) andthree M.S. students (Ms. Laura Homich, Ms. Suzanne Fleishman, Mr. Andrew Harner) during the reporting period. Ms. Laura Homich graduated with her M.S. degree in 2016. Centinari has also been training four undergraduate students enrolled in independent studies. Drs. Crassweller and Centinari trained one undergraduate student summer intern from Penn State University. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results have been disseminated in the form of two peer-reviewed scientific publications and several online newsletter articles. In addition, Dr. Centinari and graduate students in her lab gave 10 presentations to wine grape growers groups during winter extension meetings and summer field days. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?See our notes in the changes section below.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? During this reporting period yield, fruit composition (fall 205) and pruning weight data (spring 2016) were collected at the two wine grape cultivar evaluation vineyards established in 2008 in Erie county (Lake Erie Grape Research and Extension Center) and Adams county (Fruit Research And Extension Center). The cultivar evaluated at two sites were: 36% Vitis hybrid and 64% Vitis vinifera cultivars. The field data collected provides critical information about the viticulture performance of established and emerging wine grape cultivars under the variable Pennsylvania environmental conditions. In addition, wines were made from five of the cultivars planted to evaluate their wine quality potential. This also offered an opportunity for wine grape growers and wine makers who attended extension meetings to try wines made from emerging cultivars (i.e., Albariño) or wines made from the same cultivar (i.e., Chamburcin) established at two locations with different climatic and soil conditions (north vs. south Pennsylvania). A study was conducted at two commercial vineyards in Pennsylvania on four wine grape cultivars (two Vitis vinifera and two Vitis hybrid) to assess how different cultivars respond to frost protection strategies, as frost damage was identify as one of the major challenge to the economic sustainably of wine grape production in Pennsylvania. A field trial was conducted on one Vitis vinifera and one Vitis hybrid at a commercial vineyard and at the Lake Erie Grape Research and Extension Center to assess the impact of crop load management practices on vine performance, fruit and wine quality, as well as cost of productions. A study was conducted on a Vitis hybrid cultivar (Noiret) to evaluate the effect of environmental and viticulture practices on the development of the black pepper aroma in the grapes and final concentration in wines.

Publications

• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Centinari, M. Notes on the 2016 growing season and drought conditions (http://bit.ly/2016GrowingSeasonGrapes)
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Centinari M., Smith M.S., Londo J.P. Assessment of freeze injury of grapevine green tissues in response to cultivars and a cryoprotectant product. HortScience 51: 856-860.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Centinari M., Kelly K., Hed B., Miller A., Patel-Campillo A. Assessing Pennsylvania wine grape growers challenges and needs. Journal of Extension 54(3) https://joe.org/joe/2016june/rb6php.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Centinari M. Looking back at the 2015 Season. (http://bit.ly/2015vydseasonreview)
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Centinari M. Winter notes: What is going on in your vineyard right now? (http://bit.ly/2016WinterNotes )
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Centinari, M.. Understanding and preventing spring frost/freeze damage  spring 2016 updates (http://bit.ly/SpringFrost2016)
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Centinari, M. Assessing and managing potassium concentration in the vineyard. (http://bit.ly/HighKintheVineyard)

Progress 10/01/14 to 09/30/15

Outputs
Target Audience:Commercial wine grape growers andExtension Educators Changes/Problems:Will need to find funding to replant vines at the Lake Erie Regional Grape Research and Extension Center in North East, PA. Planting at the Fruit Research and Extension Center in Biglerville will be removed. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Nothing Reported How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Participated in Fruit Research and Extension Center Field Day July 9, 2015 Presented results at 2015 PA Wine Marketing and Research Board Symposium April 21 - 22, 2015 What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Follow prescribed data collection protocols

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? After budbreak bud mortality data were collected on 10 hybrid cultivars established in the cultivar evaluation vineyard at the LERGREC (Figure 1). The vines were planted in 2008 as part of the NE-1020 project. Bud mortality was not evaluated in the V. vinifera cultivars due to the extensive level of winter injury (e.g., 100% bud mortality, and trunk injury in some of the cultivars). On a positive note, only 20% or lower bud mortality was recorded in Marquette, La Crescent, and MN1235, cold-hardy cultivars developed by the breeding program of the University of Minnesota. However, other hybrid cultivars, such as Vidal, Chambourcin, and NY 81.0315.17 (Cayuga White X Riesling) sustained 60% or higher bud mortality. Trunk injury was observed mostly in Noiret, NY81.0315.17 and Traminette. Fifty, 17, and 8% of the Noiret, NY81.0315.17 and Traminette vines, respectively, collapsed during the summer.The last two winters are a reminder of the importance of cultivar and site selection, and how crop diversification can help growers to maintain sustainable yields in cold climate regions. For the second consecutive year no crop was harvested from the V. vinifera cultivars. Within the hybrid cultivars, crop level varied from 1.8 tons/acre in Norton to 5.3 tons/acre in Chambourcin. The only cultivar that needed crop adjustment was Chancellor. The lower than average yield recorded in Marquette was attributed mostly to high levels of bird damage to the fruit. Due to its early fruit ripening, earlier than the nearby Concord that seems to work greatly as bird repellent, Marquette seems to be the preferred bird target. Although it was a cold winter, fewer temperature fluctuations were recorded in 2014-2015 as compared to the previous winter (2013-2014). The long stretch of cold temperatures may have provided a positive, reinforcing maintenance of the vines' mid-winter cold hardiness. Freeze damage was observed in Northeastern Pennsylvania in some of the V. vinifera cultivars, such as Pinot Grigio and Dornfelder. Growers attributed part of the damage (i.e., crown gall) to the previous winter (2013-2014) low temperatures. No above-average winter damage was observed in the southern part of the state. We harvested only 0.4 tons/ acre of Tannat and Malbec grapes at the Penn State Fruit Research and Extension Center in Biglerville (South Central PA). Those extremely low crop levels were due to bud and trunk injuries sustained by those cultivars in the last two winters.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Submitted Year Published: 2015 Citation: Laura J. Homich, Joshua A. Scheinberg, Ryan J. Elias, and Denise M. Gardner. (2015) The Effects of Co-Inoculation on Wine Quality Attributes of the High-Acid, Red Hybrid Variety, Chambourcin. American Journal of Enology and Viticulture.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Grapevine Cold Injury: End of Season Considerations. http://psuwineandgrapes.wordpress.com/?s=cold%27.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: NE-1020& What? The Top 5 Industry Benefits Affiliated with the NE-1020 Variety Trial: http://bit.ly/1tPqowP.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: 2014 PA Wine Marketing and Research Board Symposium Summary: https://psuwineandgrapes.wordpress.com/2014/05/24/pa-wine-marketing-research-board-symposium/.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Wine and Grape Blog (Sep, 2014). 2014: the Year of Crown Gall. http://psuwineandgrapes.wordpress.com/2014/0912/2014-the-year-of-crown-gall/.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Grape Growing in Pennsylvania in Spite of the Weather http://psuwineandgrapes.wordpress.com/2014/07/03/grape-growing-in-pennsylvania-in-spite-of-the-weather/.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Looking Back at the 2015 Season https://psuwineandgrapes.wordpress.com/2015/11/13/looking-back-at-the-2015-season/.