Page 43 - Grapevine March-April 2020

Around The Vineyard

VINEYARD IRRIGATION:

Grape Growers Weigh Best Practices to Yield Best

Crops While Keeping Tabs on Water Conservation

By: Cheryl Gray
I do not stand for “extraterrestrial.” Vineyard precisely how to choose the right method of dis-
n the universe of viticulture, the letters “E.T.”
tributing extra water to grapevines to produce the
consultants and growers use the acronym to
describe the sum of evaporation of water from the best grapes.
soil surface plus transpiration (water loss) from the Not many know more about the science of vine-
leaves of grapevines. Where there are deficiencies yard irrigation than Dr. Lowell Zelinski of Pasa
in natural water supply, vineyard irrigation is crit- Robles, California-based Precision Ag Consulting.
ical. In some grape growing regions, though, it is His three decades of experience, along with a
also controversial. As a result, vineyards are forced doctorate in soil science from the University of
to strike a balance between water usage, costs to California-Davis, make him a trusted authority in
dispense it, and investment in new technologies vineyard management, viticulture production con-
aimed at optimizing water management. sulting, soil fertility and irrigation management
throughout California’s Central Coast and San
There is a vast array of science that goes into the Joaquin Valley.
process of vineyard irrigation. Grape growers often
turn to those who have studied the field and know As a plant physiologist with detailed knowledge

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