169: Do You Need to Crop Thin Your Vineyard?

The study of whole vine physiology does not isolate one variable in grape growing. It looks at many factors at once including data collection in the plant, in the environment and in fruit. In her research, Patty Skinkis, Viticulture Extension Specialist and Professor in the Horticulture Department at Oregon State University helps growers improve their farming practices by evaluating the plant growth stage, shoot growth, pruning weights, yield, cluster weight, berry size, and fruit chemistry. Patti shares her surprising results from a 10-year trial on crop load management. Grower trials found there was very little difference with crop thinning in both fruit and wine quality.

References:

• 145: New Class of Compounds Linked to Smoke Taint in Wines
• 2/15/2023 Managing Grapevine Trunk Disease Webinar | REGISTER
• Elizabeth Tomasino, Associate Professor, Oregon State University
• Patty Skinkis
• Patty Skinkis Google Scholar Page
• Patty Skinkis on Instagram
• SIP Certified
• Vineyard Team – Become a Member
• Yield Management Video

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Transcript

Craig Macmillan  0:00 

And our guest today is Dr. Patti Skinkis. She is viticulture extensio