Author
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Shellie, Krista |
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Submitted to: HortTechnology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal Publication Acceptance Date: 2/13/2007 Publication Date: 10/1/2007 Citation: Shellie, K. 2007. Viticultural Performance of Red and White Wine Grape Cultivars in Southwestern Idaho, USA. HortTechnology. 17(4)595-603. Interpretive Summary: New regions are being tested and established throughout North America in climatic zones once considered marginal or unsuitable for growing European wine grapes. Acreage expansion into marginal areas is driven by the potentially high economic value of associated agribusiness and tourism as well as the high production efficiency of wine grapes relative to other traditional agricultural products. Matching germplasm to site location is a fundamental viticultural practice to enhance yield and fruit quality. The objective of this study was to provide information on suitability of a diverse collection of leading red and white-skinned wine grape cultivars for production in southwestern Idaho by measuring yield and berry quality components over four consecutive growing seasons. Red and white-skinned wine grape cultivars from Austria, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and South Africa were evaluated for viticultural performance in Parma, Idaho USA,and results compared to published data from warmer and cooler production sites. Vine yield components, fruit composition, and vegetative growth were measured over four growing seasons, and data were used to describe relative cultivar performance based on crop load and fruit maturity. Information from this research can be used to aid cultivar selection for new planting sites by comparison of heat unit accumulation and frost-free days to the site of evaluation for this study. Technical Abstract: Matching germplasm to site location is a fundamental viticultural practice to enhance yield and fruit quality. A diverse collection of red and white-skinned winegrape cultivars from established production regions in Austria, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and South Africa were evaluated for viticultural performance in Parma, Idaho USA, and results compared to published data from warmer and cooler production sites. Vine yield components, fruit composition, and vegetative growth were measured over four growing seasons, and data were used to describe relative cultivar performance based on crop load and fruit maturity. The frost-free period and heat unit accumulation at the Parma site during the years of this study were sufficient to reach optimum or advanced fruit maturity at commercial crop levels for all cultivars except Petit Verdot. Blauer Portugieser appeared better suited for a cooler site, and Barbera, Nebbiolo, and Carignan appeared better suited for a warmer site. Red-skinned cultivars required seven more days between bud break and harvest than white-skinned cultivars, but the large variability in earliness among cultivars within each skin color group permitted identification of short-season red cultivars, such as Blauer Portugieser, as well as long-season white cultivars, such as Muscat of Alexandria. Onset of bud break was not directly related with earliness, for example, Orange Muscat was early to break bud and short-season whereas Flora was short-season but late to break bud. Information from this research can be used to aid cultivar selection for new planting sites by comparison of heat unit accumulation and frost-free days to the site of evaluation for this study. |
