March 2022 - 14

Grape Library of Viticulture Extension (Grape LOVE) set
By Alisa Boswell-Gore
Oklahoma State University
Selecting which type of grape to use
is one of the most important decisions
for new vineyard establishments and
grower success, said Andrej Svyantek,
an Oklahoma State University (OSU)
assistant Extension specialist in
viticulture and enology.
" Grapevine cultivar selection at
planting is one of the single most
important decisions a producer can
make, " Svyantek said. " Selecting an
appropriate cultivar that can thrive
in Oklahoma requires accounting for
disease pressure, climate obstacles,
ripening time and final wine objectives. "
That's why OSU is starting the Grape
Library of Viticulture Extension -
or Grape LOVE - to evaluate and
disseminate performance of grapevine
cultivars. The Oklahoma Department
of Agriculture, Food and Forestry
awarded more than $32,000 to the
OSU Department of Horticulture and
Landscape Architecture for the project.
The project is the start of an
expandable grapevine library to house
materials from multiple U.S. breeding
programs to study their potential
with Oklahoma's unique viticulture
challenges. The Grape LOVE vineyard
will serve as a resource for OSU students
and growers through Extension efforts,
including the grape management short
course, field days and a new cultivar
page on the OSU Viticulture and
Enology website.
The grape management course will
expose producers to new and emerging
grapevine cultivar options.
" The OSU Grape Library of
Viticulture Extension will be the
foundation for future grapevine cultivar
recommendations for the Oklahoma
viticulture and enology industry, "
Svyantek said. " This project is important
because cultivars drive success for many
grapevine growers and wineries. "
Through the Grape LOVE vineyard,
researchers will study cultivar
susceptibility and resistance to
Oklahoma's viticultural obstacles, such
as severe climate events, grapevine
diseases and insect pests.
" The diversity of Oklahoma growing
regions and the increase in grapevine
cultivar options demand a thorough
assessment of cultivar choices to ensure
proper recommendation can be made
based on scientific observations, "
Svyantek said. " For these reasons,
grapevine cultivars will be purchased
from breeding programs across the U.S. "
Svyantek said spring frost often
is a problem in Oklahoma for grape
producers, adding that studying
Oklahoma State University is starting the Grape Library of Viticulture Extension to study
the performance of grape varieties. Photo: Todd Johnson/Oklahoma State University
Oklahoma's obstacles - such as late
spring freezes - from a phenological
standpoint is necessary to identify
grapevine cultivars with acceptable
midwinter, cold hardiness and delayed
spring development for frost avoidance.
" We have to figure out which ones
can live in this environment, so people
aren't planting something that is nonadapted, "
Svyantek said. " It is a really
big, uphill battle to plant something that
doesn't belong in certain environmental
conditions, so we are just trying to see
which doors are worth opening rather
than everyone hitting a brick wall. "
In other grape research, Svyantek
will focus on developing and extending
knowledge about hybrid grapevine
maceration, color extraction and
sensory effects, while also creating
demonstration wines from novel,
existing grapevines.
The knowledge generated will allow
members of the Oklahoma grape and
wine industry to taste new cultivars
before choosing to plant them, and
assess research scale fermentation
treatments for how they alter the
characteristics of Oklahoma's adapted
cultivars. FGN
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March 2022

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