This second course in Small Vineyard Management focuses on plant protection. Designed for small vineyard owners, home winemakers, winemaking enthusiasts, enologists and viticulturists, this course will cover the major grape pests and diseases, and how growers and vintners can apply integrated pest management to control them.
Lectures and hands-on training will provide a detailed explanation of the general biology of major grape pest and disease, and how to use cultural and chemical methods to reduce or eliminate the damage, yielding the desired grape crop at harvest. You will have an opportunity to work in the UC Davis Oakville Station Vineyard, learning how to use a backpack airblast sprayer and water sensitive paper to improve your spray coverage. You will also learn how to scout the vineyard and identify the symptoms from different disease and pest, and understand the effects of disease and pest on fruit and wine composition.
Learning Outcomes:
- Understand the general biology of major grapevine disease and pest
- Ability to scout a vineyard and identify symptoms of major grape disease and pest
- Learn how to apply integrated pest management to control or eliminate damage
- Learn how to use a backpack airblast sprayer and water sensitive paper to guide your spray program
- Learn the different yield and sensory outcomes introduced by grapevine disease and pest
Skills:
- General knowledge of major grapevine pest and disease biology
- Cultural and chemical methods to control
- Understanding of integrated pest management
- Backpack sprayer use
- Air blast sprayer use
- Disease and pest symptoms identification