Waves of heat = Waves of greater water needs As heat wave comes and goes, vine water use goes up and down as we discussed here. Consequently during heat, a greater amount of water is used to satisfy vine water needs. Just like a speeding car consumes more gasoline, even […]
How much does vine transpiration increase during a heat wave? To address that question, a team of Australian researchers led by Edwards reported the following observations in 2011.While working in a greenhouse with Cabernet Sauvignon, researchers generated a 2-day high-temperature event by imposing maximum daytime temperatures near 41°C. Before imposing the […]
In our previous blogs we discussed how sap flow sensors can be used to characterize vine water needs under site- specific conditions. Various authors have shown that the use of sap flow sensors can reduce error in estimating vine water needs thus offering an opportunity to save water and manage […]
Last week, Fruition Sciences attended the American Society for Enology and Viticulture (ASEV) 68th Annual Conference in Bellevue, Washington. This event was a true meeting of the minds for North America’s top scientists and practitioners related to winemaking and grape growing. Hundreds of recently released studies were discussed throughout the three […]
The purpose of stratified sampling is to remove sources of noise when collecting vineyard data. In turn, analyzing “cleaner” data improves the ability to monitor vineyard performances precisely. To implement a stratified sampling strategy, it is necessary to focus: over a small vineyard area so we can remove the effect […]
Early in the growing season, particularly in June of 2017, Northern California experienced a series of heat waves. The combination of hotter and drier days, while daylength was at its greatest, rises the question: what does a heat wave mean for vine water use? To address this complex and challenging […]
Today, we review some of the aspects of the 2017 growing season in Napa. While Bordeaux suffered some very serious frost events earlier this year, followed by unprecedented heat waves (read more here), Northern California has endured a series of heat waves following an extremely wet winter. Growing degree day […]
As Bordeaux region is entering into summer, overall flowering stages went smoothly and the leaf area operations are undergoing under good weather conditions. At this stage of the season, we can take a step back and review how such an atypical spring has called into question usual cultivation practices. […]
The leaf area exposed to sunlight, known as the grapevine canopy, captures sun energy to perform photosynthesis, regulate water use through transpiration, and modulate the microclimate of ripening grapes. Determinations about how much canopy is enough, as compared with too much or too little, are critical during the early stages of […]
This is our second discussion on managing frost in the vineyard. With this blog post, we wish to generate discussions around the consequences following a frost event and the best practices to apply to mitigate frost negative effects on vineyard productivity. To understand this discussion it is best to have read the […]
