The computational tools, and the underlying methodology for canopy characterization, have been integrated into viticulture course material in at least two out-of-state colleges and have been demonstrated to, and requested by, growers in the New York Finger Lakes Area for their use in improving fruit quality and production consistency.
Preliminary results have demonstrated effective quantitative prediction of the relationship between grapevine cultural practices and both disease pressure and key chemical compounds related to wine flavor.
The quantitative relationships between fruit sunlight exposure, level of fungicide application, and disease control suggests that these tools can be used to optimize cultural practices that maximize fruit quality while minimizing fungicide application.
impact statement issue
To date, results of viticultural studies into the relationship between production methods and fruit quality have been inconsistent. As a result, wine grape producers face great uncertainty when attempting to establish economic thresholds for quality-driven cultural practices. Producers of wine grapes need tools that help them to establish optimal cultural responses that are tailored to the precise needs of their crops and their businesses.
impact statement response
The details of the model have been published in a peer reviewed journal, and the computational tools required to perform basic analyses have been encapsulated into a spreadsheet that has been requested by researchers around the world and many New York growers.
impact statement summary
Producers of wine grapes need tools that help them to establish optimal cultural responses that are tailored to the precise needs of their crops and their businesses. A data model has been developed that describes canopy architecture with a high level of dimensional precision. These models are built through simple measurement techniques that are easily accomplished in the field by minimally trained personnel.
Once built, these models are analyzed with a series of computational tools that simulate the effects of canopy variability on sunlight intensity and distribution. These models then serve as a means of seeking out correlations between canopy variability and vine performance.
The computational tools, and the underlying methodology for canopy characterization, have been integrated into viticulture course material in at least two out-of-state colleges and have been demonstrated to, and requested by, growers in the New York Finger Lakes Region for their use in improving fruit quality and production consistency. Additionally, the tools are being used in wine grape research in at least nine states and five other countries.
Other private funding
President's Council of Cornell Women - Affinito-Stewart Grant
