GROUND BREAKING NEWS FOR THE GRAPE INDUSTRY

Genesis Soils Products releases trial data relating to plant moisture stress in Napa Valley vineyards.

In this report you will find a detailed trial observation report and the supporting data in an Excel format. The information provided was accumulated by Ron Rosenbrand Vineyard manager Spring Mountain Vineyard, Saint Helena, California.

Some additional observations that have surfaced during this trial are also very important to understand.

Natural Mycorrhizae

Many growers and their consulting groups have mentioned they have native mycorrhizae in their soils and that they do not need anything additional. While their beliefs may be true, their populations of beneficial organisms including mycorrhizae are not in significant amounts to give the plant and its surrounding rhizosphere enough help to even notice.

As evidenced by this trial data, the entire vineyards except for control rows were inoculated with Genesis Soils Rhizo-Gen mycorrhizal components. The control rows were consistently more stressed by 25-50% compared to the inoculated vineyards.
If their were significant amounts of “Natural Mycorrhizae”, in the vineyards, then why was it not working? Why was it not protecting the plant? Why are the inoculated vineyards outperforming the controls in all aspects?
Because the natural mycorrhizal populations if they are present are not efficacious.
They are not in significant enough populations to protect the plant!

Water Conservation

You will notice in the Excel spreadsheet for example vineyard block Miravalle 8,
8-27-09 Control rows PMS readings were 15 bars Inoculated rows were 13.5 bars. The vineyard starts recovery irrigation at 15 bars. The inoculated vineyards will not require water for several days longer until it reached 15 bars.
This equates to less stress and less water required during the growing season. This savings is estimated to be 20-40% of total water usage during each growing season.

Stress Recovery

Please refer again to Miravalle 8:
After water was applied to the entire vineyard, follow the PMS readings from 8-29-09 until the next water cycle starts again on 9-17-09. Inoculated vineyards were significantly lower in stress as evidenced by the PMS readings due to their ability to store water and recover quicker.
“Stress Kills”.

Financial Considerations

What is your cost of water? Do you have enough water for your vineyard needs?
Are you pruning back crop load due to the lack of sustainable water to bring in a healthy crop not at the expense of your vines health, or wine quality?
Could you plant more vineyard if you needed less water?
What if you now did not need to spend $500,000.00 on a new reservoir?
Are you dry farming and need the vine to be as efficient as possible in the uptake of nutrients and available water?
Are you willing to spend $100,000.00 to $400,000.00 for prime vineyard land and development to the third leaf? Are you willing to risk failure or mediocre wine, or plant decline?

Are you willing to spend $.30 per vine for an insurance policy?

In today’s challenging economic times, don’t we owe it to ourselves to become as efficient as we possibly can?

Don’t we owe it to ourselves to grow the healthiest vines and the healthiest vineyards for the production of world class wines?

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