Mar 16, 2023

WAVEx webinar to focus on improving vineyard water productivity

The Washington State Wine Commission (WSWC) and Washington State University invite wine grape growers to register for an upcoming webinar on the use of novel irrigation technology and sensor-based irrigation scheduling to improve vineyard water productivity.

The WAVEx webinar is scheduled for March 23, 2023, from 12:30–1:30 p.m.

The new irrigation delivery system has potential to create more climate resilient vineyards, according to a news release.

Pete Jacoby, a WSU plant ecologist, developed a vineyard irrigation system called Direct Root Zone drip irrigation to conserve water and deliver water where it’s needed—to the roots of a grapevine.

During the webinar, Jacoby plans to share the potential of direct root zone drip irrigation to maintain winegrape quality and yields with reduced water. The technology can also reduce weeds that grow under the vine row and limit canopy growth, according to the release.

More recently, Jacoby has studied seasonal soil water dynamics of surface and subsurface deliveries for more effective irrigation scheduling and trialed different soil water sensors for irrigation decision support. He will highlight those findings and what he’s learned about automating irrigation based on a sensor system that measures soil water content and soil water availability.

Washington Advancements in Viticulture and Enology (WAVE) is the Washington State Wine Commission’s seminar and webinar series focused on wine research. WAVEx is the condensed, shorter webinar series. WSU is a co-sponsor of the WAVE and WAVEx events.

Register for the free irrigation webinar here.