Vinifera Training, Cultivar Evaluation and Trellising Trial

Kentucky growers have planted extensive acreages for wine grape production over the last eight years. Roughly 37 percent of the vines planted are European (vinifera) cultivars that sustain extensive damage in very cold winters. The percentage of vinifera vines planted in Kentucky is comparatively higher than that in any of the surrounding states. Additionally, vinifera grapevines are particularly prone to crown gall, a bacterial disease that infects the vines through wounds, severely weakening and often killing the vines. Many Kentucky growers are planting grapes for the first time; and since this is a relatively new commercial crop many cultural questions have arisen. There is little historical Kentucky grape research and consequently there is a strong need for cultural studies to provide sound grower recommendations. The following three projects were initiated in 2002 in anticipation of this research funding. Study I compares survival, yield and fruit quality between the vertical shoot positioning (VSP) and fan training systems for winegrapes. Most Kentucky growers are training their vinifera vines to a VSP system with two trunks. The fan system, which contains up to six trunks, has the potential to out perform the VSP system, because multiple winter injured and/or crowngalled trunks may be removed with little or no loss in yield. Studies 2 and 3 were initiated in response to a request by northern Kentucky Agricultural and Natural Resource Extension Agents to answer grower questions concerning planting grapes on Eden shale soil. This soil type is a shallow heavy clay relatively infertile soil common in this area. Residents have noted that once a forested area is cleared, regrowth is predominately wild grapeVllles.