Dec 11, 2015

Recapping the 2015 California grape growing season

Life as a grape grower is taxing — Mother Nature always seems to be in charge, but she doesn’t always win.

In 2015, California grape growers fought the weather, managed disease and came out on top. Overall, most growers in the state had a good year.

According to research conducted by BASF technical service representatives, wine yields were even to up, table grape yields were up and raisin grape yields were up. Growers seemed to be satisfied with the crop.

In addition to strong yields, growers reported a high-quality crop. This is especially important in the table grape market, where BASF representatives were told the quality was high, brix were up and sizing was good.

There was one thing that stood out this growing season: it came early.

It varied from region to region, but BASF found that the warm weather resulted in an earlier season than normal. There were some areas that experienced early bud break and vegetative growth in the spring, some geographies experienced an extended bloom period and others had an earlier-than-normal harvest.

But every year, growers hit a few roadblocks.

In some areas, the early crop offered a shorter harvest window and crews felt the pressure.

According to those in the industry, some market volatility was also reported. Higher yields in wine and raisin grapes made for less market stability, whereas the table grape market was mostly stable. Growers would have liked to have seen stronger prices in the wine grape and raisin grape markets.

This growing season, the biggest roadblock very well could have been powdery mildew, depending on the location. Growers reported moderate to high powdery mildew pressure throughout the state (high in northern California and moderate on the coast and in the valley). Other pests like mites and leaf hoppers didn’t seem to be much of a problem.

In some cases, growers reported that powdery mildew pressure came on early and very quickly, which makes it difficult to control. If growers didn’t have a powdery mildew program that started early in the season, they found that pressure became unmanageable.

BASF representatives have tools to make 2016 a better year for pest control.

“BASF offers a number of season-long solutions for grape growers,” said Kate Walker, Technical Service Representative for BASF. “Prowl^® H20 herbicide provides growers with long-lasting weed control and a water-based formulation. Pristine^® and Vivando^® fungicides are excellent options for powdery mildew control and resistance management. Pristine fungicide is also a good option for growers that struggle with botrytis or summer bunch rot. And finally, Nealta^® miticide offers another mode of action for control of Tetranychid mites.”

With BASF’s help, California grape growers expect 2016 to be another successful year. They hope for rain and snow, strong markets and price stability.

Growers can learn more about BASF by visiting www.agproducts.basf.us, or by contacting their local BASF representative.

Always read and follow label directions. Prowl H20, Pristine, Vivando and Nealta are registered trademarks of BASF.