Vinyards beware

[jinman]

Well, I'm certainly learning a lot with this thread, including that I should check the spelling of my thread title more closely.

I will not misspell vineyard.
I will not misspell vineyard.
I will not misspell vineyard. . . .

 

[Bird]

Hey, you did misspell it and I hadn't noticed and probably wouldn't have if you hadn't 'fessed up.

 

[Haoleguy]

Have not heard much about 2,4-d drift problems in the grape growing areas of the west and northeast so I thought I would take a look into it within the literature. Sensitivity of european varieties(Vitis vinifera wine grapes) to 2,4-D at different concentrations and time of application during the growing season demonstrated by UC Davis researchers in the mid 1960s. The following article seems to identify the problem as more common to the central US regions where vineyards are flanked by larger crop farms...Wines & Vines - Wine Industry News Headlines - Midwestern Vineyards Face Special Threats. I know that vineyards that choose to use chemical herbicides choose Roundup and many are moving away from chemistry and to new mechanical technologies...tractor attachments. Chemical drift has become a hot topic within the viticulture business as many in humid areas have an aggressive fungicidal program during the growing season which generates waste, higher cost, and potential health consequences. Many equipment companies have recently developed sprayers with better focus spraying and in some cases capturing airborne spray that does not hit target. New herbicidal sprayers for the vineyard follow in and around the vines with a dome localizing the spray to the ground. I like these technical advances and can only hope they lead to minimize chemical use in the future.

 

[jinman]

That's a good link Haoleguy. Thanks!