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About Capital press. (Salem, OR) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (April 13, 2018)
April 13, 2018 CapitalPress.com 21 Vineyards track weather, soil differences and elevation related to grape-grow- ing suitability. Wilkins said by understanding and mapping the measured char- acteristics across the 10 monitored sites, “we can better understand the quality of soils and the micro-cli- mate at each site, and better inform best practices for quality wine grape production.” The Idaho wine industry previ- ously lacked such data as well as a template for gathering and dis- playing it, he said. Findings can be viewed on plot graphs or lists. One of the mast-mounted sta- tions is at Bitner Vineyards in the Sunnyslope grape-growing area, where owner Ron Bitner in 2017 documented conditions that differed notably from his neighbors’. He saw his 35-year-old vineyard sustain serious damage in January — 10 straight days of bitter cold knocked out vines, though a two-foot blan- ket of snow kept roots alive — and again in a late-May freeze. A neigh- bor’s vineyard at lower elevation was damaged more, and a nearby vineyard at a higher elevation was damaged less. Researchers so far have found fairly significant differences in heat units and growing-degree days at monitored sites within one to two miles of each other, Wilkins said. Close-together sites can vary enough in slope, soil composition and other factors to make for unique growing conditions. Brad Carlson/For the Capital Press Ron Bitner, of Bitner Vineyards west of Caldwell, Idaho, with his weather monitoring station. CIDER APPLE TREES Step up to Quality! Step up to Tallman! Made in the U.S.A. Since 1954 Bare Root Nursery Stock 541-386-2733 800-354-2733 tallmanladders.com ONV18-3/103 Crafted For Safety, Longevity, Stability, and Affordability CALL NOW Ben & Willy Dinsdale 503-838-3779 Bittersweet • Bittersharp Wholesale • Retail VISIT OUR WEBSITE FOR AVAILABILITY See these advertisers and more at: Marketplace.CapitalPress.com ciderbabies.com • 503-703-3730 ONV18-4/HOU • Pruning • Planting • Harvesting • Orchard Services • Maintenance & Consulting • Grapes • Blueberries• Hazelnuts • Hops AGRIBUSINESS LLC 503-449-8432 21245 Arbor Grove Rd. NE St. Paul, Oregon 97137 ONV18-3/106 ONV18-4/106 Give us a call today! Custom Filbert Harvest Available 2018 ONV18-3/106 ONV18-4/100 THE TRACTOR STORE 25000 SW DeJong Rd. Sheridan 5450 W. 11 , Eugene, OR Call today: 800-887-3415 dejongproducts.com (541) 342-5464 th Find a Dealer Squirrels Gophers Moles Voles Prairie Dogs www.Rodent-Baits.com Klopfenstein Ag Service • Electric eye sucker sprayer • Floor spray- strip spray • Adjustable boom-100 gal tank Branson Model 4520 RODENT BAITS for Rodent Problems Big & Small 1-800-214-2248 agribusinessllc.com Hazelnut Orchard Sprayer SERIES 3120R 3520R 3510H 4020R 4525R 4720H 6640 8050 24 - 80 hp., 4WD, Compact Synchro Shuttle; Hydro 24, 28, 35, 47hp ONV18-3/110 Scientists track weather, water and soil data from monitoring sta- tions at 10 southwest Idaho vineyard sites stretching from Kuna northwest to Parma. The Sunnyslope Soils and Weath- er Network is the first regional en- vironmental-monitoring system for Idaho’s vineyards, leaders said. On- site instruments record hourly read- ings of air temperature at vineyard canopy height, precipitation, rela- tive humidity, vapor pressure, wind speed and direction and solar radia- tion. Probes set between 15 and 75 centimeters deep measure soil mois- ture and temperature. The system also provides derived measures of growing-degree and frost-free days, wind run and evapotranspiration, a multi-factored measure of a plant’s water-use efficiency. Primary investigator David Wilkins, associate professor of geo- sciences at Boise State University, said the study, begun two-plus years ago, aims to make it easier for grape growers to determine which vari- etals to grow, and where. “They didn’t have any of these data before at the vineyard-site scale,” he said. “These vineyards now have readily available climate and soil data to inform their vineyard management practices.” Researchers aim to better charac- terize the diversity of soils, climate ONV18-4/100 For the Capital Press Custom Nut Harvesting klopfensteinag.com 503-932-0766 • Silverton, OR ONV18-3/110 By BRAD CARLSON
