Page 61 - Grapevine NovDec 2020
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Around The Vineyard
an initial off-putting smell, so you have to give it Boon for WSU
some time to breathe,” Keller added. “It’s possible
that the odor could stem from an issue with nitro- Funded by the USDA’s National Institute of Food
gen, which is something we could target.” and Agriculture, the project is a collaborative effort
between WSU and Cornell, UC Davis, Oregon State,
Beyond reassessing the conventional guidelines Rochester Institute of Technology, Virginia Tech,
of nutrient management, one of Keller’s goals is to and USDA-ARS. The total grant is $4.75 million, of
share these new methods with as many growers as which the first $1 million has been approved.
possible.
Subsequent installments of the grant will be con-
“There’s an important Extension component to tingent on the project’s progress.
this project,” he said. “In addition to providing
training to growers around the country, we want The National Grape Research Alliance, an indus-
to develop apps and other decision-support tools try-driven, nonprofit organization that aligns
to better equip growers as they form and augment research priorities to strengthen the competitive-
their nutrient management plans.” ness of America’s grape industry originally con-
ceived of the project that launches Sept. 30.
The project also includes juice, table, and raisin “Given the prestige of all the institutions involved,
grapes along with wine grapes, covering 97 percent it is a great honor to have been asked by the NGRA
of U.S. grape production regions. to lead such an exciting and dynamic project,”
Keller said.
“We want all grape growers to benefit from this
research,” Keller said. Including Keller, the WSU research team consists
of Qin Zhang and Manoj Karkee, both of WSU’s
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