Grape Progr&m ln Ontario, Councy o mco llulldlllg Cornell Schu)'ler, Seneca, Steuben, II 0 Cour1 S1r ee1 Cooperative and Yates Counties Pe!ln Yon, NY 14&27-1130 316-636-3134 Extension fAX 316-6311-6117 - FINGER LAKES VINEYARD NOTES NEWSLETTER '96 #3 February Ui, 1996 Written by David V. Peterson, Area Extension Grape Specialis~ Finger Lakes Grape Program (315) S36-Sl34, and Tim Weigle, Area Extension Grape Pest Management Specialist for the Finger Lakes and Lake Erie Grape Programs (716) 672-6830. Edited by David V. Peterson. IN THIS ISSUE Farewell to Adele and Hello to Katie Northeast Weather Association Now Forming Update on Grape Crown Gall Research Calendar of Events • Topics in Viticulture Shortcourse (Penn Yan, NY) • Millerandage Symposium (Fredonia, NY) • Agricultural Economic Development (Henrietta, NY) • NY Wine Industry Workshop (Geneva, NY) • 4th International Cool Climate Viticulture Symposium (Rochester, NY) FAREWELL TO ADELE AND HELLO Katie Tomlinson is a new full time employee of TO KATIE Cornell Cooperative Extension in Yates County. She started January 2 and has After 32 years of working as a secretary with replaced Adele as secretary for the Finger Cornell Cooperative Extension and the Finger Lakes Grape Program. She will also support Lakes Grape Program, Adele Spencer has all areas of CCE along with our other Office retired. All of us will miss Adele and wish her Assistants. the best of luck in the future. Below are her official parting words. Katie comes to us from a private industry in Utica where she was a member of their "I would like to thank the Grape Growers for marketing team. She has a strong computer the gifts I was presented with at the 47th background and will be a real asset to both Annual Finger Lakes Grape Growers' CCE and the Finger Lakes Grape Program. Convention. I have enjoyed working with aU of you for the past 32 years. Since I will not Katie was married to David Tomlinson on be at the Finger Lakes Grape Growers' office, January 27 and they now make their home on I will miss seeing you when you come in with Skyline Drive in Bluff Point. your questions or when you call the office. We are looking forward to her being part of the Sincerely, Adele Spencer." team. When you stop in or call, please welcome her to our organization. Hclph>.Q You. 1-'u l. K"liowlerJ.ge l.o Wo,-k CornPII ConpNntlw l:;xtcu::.l<m JU'O\'h.lcs cGual program and empl o~'ffiNl1 ()I)I>Onurlllics. :'-lWi CoU ~c or ..\gt1<: u1 turc an.d Llre Sclen(·(',,., ~YS GoiiPgn or l·hunan Bcolug:..._ und :-.1\'S Collt>~l' of \'(•l('l'iii!U')' );1C>diclne a;: ComeUt:n iversily, Conperativr- Jo:xiA'II'ilo•• a~suda l iOi lS, cow\ly govermng bod.ies. and l l .•'i. l)f'Jl:l 11 mt•• l or .-\grtcu!turc, cooperating. NORTHEAST WEATHER weather network will continue and has a chance ASSOCIATION NOW FORMING to grow. Growers have expressed a continued interest in purchasing weather equipment A Tim Weigle group purchase of Sensor Instruments Field Monitors™ is currently being planned by After numerous attempts, a non-profit weather combining interested persons from fruit and association is now being formed in conjunction vegetable commodities. If you are interested in with a federal telecommunications grant purchasing weather equipment, learning more program. The weather association will oversee about the weather network and/or the weather the collection, assembly, and distribution of assoCiation, please contact Tim Weigle at (716) weather information from the current network 672-6830. of private and state-owned weather instruments. The weather network has the capability to automatically download.Sensor UPDATE ON GRAPE CROWN GALL Instruments and Campbell Scientific weather RESEARCH instruments. Dr. Tom Burr Association members will have a choice in how Dept. of Plant Pathology they get up to date weather and pest NYS Agricultural Experiment Station information during the 1996 growing season. Cornell University A daily fax will provide infection period and Geneva, NY pest status and we are currently working with providers of weather forecasts specifically Crown gall on grape, caused by the bacterium designed for agricultural producers. Those of Agrobacterium vi tis, is a serious problem you who visited our table at the Finger Lakes worldwide that primarily affects cold-sensitive Grape Growers' Convention got a look at the cultivars of Vitis vinifera, but can also be a new computer bulletin board system (BBS) that problem on some hybrids and V. labrusca. A. can put volumes of information at your finger vitis survives systemically in grape and is often tips. The graphical interface of the BBS in spread in propagation material. Crown gall 1996 is a great improvement over the text based therefore may remain dormant in vines for system used in 1995. Growers will now be several years and then become quite severe in able to use their personal computer to gain seasons following winters where cold injury access to pictures of pests and their damage, occurred. It has been detected in many the Grape Recommends, the new Grape IPM different cultivars of grape in several regions of manual along with weather information from all the world. Methods for indexing grapes for the weather stations in the region. We are presence of systemic A. vitis have been currently planning to place six Weather BBS developed and research on improvement of sites across New York.State. Two or three of indexing methods is continuing. Presently, we the sites will be within Finger Lakes Region are identifying very specific regions of the area codes. bacterial DNA that' can be used in a very sensitive technique called PCR for indexing While owning weather equipment is not cuttings. The only technique that has thus far necessary for participation in the weather been successful for producing vines that are association, payment of a membership fee will free of the A. vi tis is propagation from shoot be required. The exact costs of the various tips. It is likely that if such plants were grown categories of membership are currently being in a noninfested soil that they would provide a worked out with more exact information to be good source of crown gall-free wood. available after the board of directors meeting on Although heat treatment greatly reduces the March 4. The board of directors includes pathogen in cuttings, it does not completely growers, processors, and consultants from eradicate it. various commodities including grapes, apples, onions, and potatoes along with IPM staff and We have been interested in determining if wild Geneva faculty members. The creation of the grape in New York can harbor A. Vitis and weather association will help ensure the thus serve as a source of crown gall inoculum. 2 Wild grapevines from several regions were CALENDAR OF EVENTS assayed and many were found to harbor A. vitis. However, all were nonpathogenic and March 7, 12, 19, 28, April 2, 9 (dates therefore their role, if any, in crown gall tentative). TOPICS IN VITICULTURE development in commercial vineyards is yet to SHORTCOURSE. Yates County Office be determined. We are presently determining if Building Auditorium. Penn Yan, NY. A these strains can acquire pathogenicity genes series of half day sessions on the following from pathogenic strains and then become topics: Employer/Employee Interactions for pathogens. When several of the wild grape Improved Productivity, Grape Pest isolates were tested for their ability to prevent Management, Farm Safety, Vine Growth & pathogenic strains from causing crown gall Development, Grapevine Nutrition, Row (biological control) a few were effective. Middle Management. Registration fee of $25 for entire course. You should have already We recently found that A. vitis can survive in received registration information. The first association with decaying grape roots and session is scheduled for Thursday March 7 canes in soil for at least two years. The from 1:00- 5:00 pro; March 12 & 19 from 8:30 bacterium was even isolated from small am - 12:30 pro. Other times TBA. Pre­ fragments of tissue in soil and the recovered registration required. You need not show up isolates retained their ability to cause crown at all sessions, but please try to attend the first gall. Therefore, it is apparent that even if clean session if at all possible. If you cannot attend plants are planted in old vineyard sites there is a first session, contact David V. Peterson. For risk for them to become infected by A. vitis more information on program details, please surviving in association with residual grape contact David V. Peterson at (315) 536-5134, tissues in soil. This has stimulated interest in or Fax: (315) 536-5117. the development of biological controls that could be used to protect "clean" vines that are March 9. IRREGULAR CROPPING AND planted in contaminated soils. We have been POOR FLOWER SET IN NEW YORK . testing a nonpathogenic strain of A. vitis, F2!5, VINEYARDS: THE MILLERANDAGE that originated in South Africa, along with PROBLEM. BOCES, Fredonia, NY. some of the wild grape strains mentioned Program was previously mailed. Pre­ above. These are very effective for preventing registration required by March 1 for lunch . gall formation at wound sites on grape. Field reservations. For more information: call (716) evaluations of the biological controls were 672-2191, or Fax (716) 679-3122. initiated on Long Island and in Washington State. New experiments will be initiated in the March 27. AGRICULTURAL ECONOMIC Finger Lakes this season. DEVELOPMENT: ACCESSING REGIONAL RESOURCES. Rustler's Roost, Henrietta, Another strategy for crown gall management NY. Contact: Genessee-Finger Lakes Food may be the use of grape rootstocks that are System Project, Foodlink, 100 West Avenue, resistant to crown gall.