North Dakota State University releases two new grape cultivars!
The North Dakota State University Grape Germplasm Enhancement Project, a VG3 participating program, has released two new grape cultivars: 'Dakota Primus' and 'Radiant'. These vines have low susceptibility to powdery mildew, downy mildew, black rot, foliar phylloxera, and no observed grey mold. Both have high yield and winter survival, and produce fruit appropriate for wine production. These vines will go into nursery production soon and will be available for sale within the next few years!
VitisGen3 Variety Trial Enhances Biopesticide Management
Conventional pesticides are starting to lose efficacy as pathogens develop resistance. However, biopesticides may be a promising alternative to tamp down disease and protect the genetic resistance of new grapevine cultivars bred to rely on fewer agrochemicals. Wine Business Monthly recently covered the VitisGen3 variety trial aiming to generate production recommendations for farmers growing disease resistant vineyards.
PhytoPatholoBots deployed at two VitisGen3 sites
Researchers from the VitisGen3 robotics and AI team have deployed the PhytoPatholoBot (PPB) at two participating sites in California and South Dakota. PPB drives through the vineyard taking high resolution images to allow for pinpoint detection of powdery mildew.
Winners declared at the International Cold Climate Wine Competition!
The 2023 International Cold Climate Wine Competition was held on Wednesday, August 16 at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. The competition, hosted by the Minnesota Grape Growers Association, included hundreds of wines from across the Northern US that were made with at least 75% cold hardy hybrid grape cultivars (many of which were developed by programs that participate in VitisGen3!) Read on to learn which wines rose to the top of the 15 categories under judgement by the panel of industry experts.
SevenFiftyDaily: Could Gene Editing Create More Disease-Resistant Grape Varieties?
The spotlight is on VitisGen3, "the only project of this scale that’s achieved this much in the United States," in a new piece from SevenFiftyDaily. The negative impact of powdery mildew in the vineyard is vast, and the use of gene-editing technology could help by producing resistance in beloved winegrape cultivars.