Abstract:
FOREWORD
It is with great pride and a sense of accomplishment that I introduce this Acta Proceedings, Viticulture, Living with Limitations.
This volume is the product of just one of the many excellent symposia that comprised the quadrennial horticultural Olympics held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 11 to 17 August 2002 – the XXVIth International Horticultural Congress.
It is appropriate to explain the title.
One might argue that all aspects of horticulture are fraught with limitations, whether they be limitations of climate, site, cultivar, or technology.
However, it is the often mad desire to grow the grapevine that seems to provide infinite challenge to the viticulturist.
It seemed appropriate that this colloquium was being held close to the Niagara Peninsula, a region that has struggled to produce grapes for nearly 200 years, and has produced many fine wines despite the adversities of climate, disease, insects, and soil conditions.
The Niagara region is renowned in Canada as one of but a few special spots blessed by geography.
Despite its northerly latitude (43°N), the influence of the Great Lakes, in particular Lake Ontario, provides sufficient climatic moderation in winter to mitigate against serious winter injury in grapes and tender woody perennial fruit crops such as peaches.
Nonetheless, winter minima of -20°C are not uncommon, and many would argue that minimum winter temperatures constitute the most significant limitation to winegrowing in this region as well as in the adjacent US states.
Southern Ontario also constitutes the southern limit of the Wisconsin Glaciation of some 16,000 years ago.
This is significant because the remains of this geological epoch include vast deposits of calcareous lacustrine clays that were once the bottoms of ancient glacial lakes.
These poorly- and imperfectly-drained, high pH clay soils represent another major limitation to successful horticulture in Niagara, and usually require intervention in the form of tile drainage.
Pest and disease issues are common to every horticultural region, and southern Ontario is no exception.
Eastern North America, in fact, is the center of origin for many Vitis species, as well as the many pests and diseases that attack grapes worldwide.
Many of the ubiquitous disease such as powdery mildew, downy mildew, and black rot, as well as the notorious phylloxera, evolved with the indigenous species of Eastern North America.
These species, of course, became the source of resistance genes to overcome these many biotic limitations to viticulture worldwide; both grape rootstocks as well as interspecific hybrids owe their existence to the many indigenous Vitis species that inhabit eastern North America.
These species also contributed genes for winter hardiness along with those genes for resistance to diseases and insects.
This Proceedings is divided into six main sections, each representing a specific limitation to world viticulture.
The first, Precision Viticulture, deals with the limitations imposed by vineyard site, and how these may be addressed through modern technology.
The keynote paper for this section is contributed by D.S Lamb et al. of Australia.
The second section focuses on Water and Nutrient Management, and contains an array of excellent investigations into irrigation and vine nutrition.
Our third section is that of Vine Hardiness, a concern to all viticulturists in Eastern North America as well as the Pacific Northwest region of the continent.
T.K. Wolf of Virginia contributed the keynote paper for this section.
Our fourth section focuses upon breeding and propagation; the introduction of new varieties through painstaking hybridization, selection, and testing, is a time-honored method of overcoming the multiple adversities of climate and biotic pests that plague Vitis.
The fifth section is the contribution of R.M. Pool of New York who presented a comprehensive keynote paper on the definition of vine balance, and the implications for canopy management.
Finally, a section is included that addresses general vine and grape physiology and management including use of novel growth regulators for increasing berry size of table grapes, malo-lactic bacteria for reduction of excess wine acidity, growing winegrapes in the vicinity of nuclear power plants, and growing grapes in the tropics.
In closing, I would like to thank the President of the Congress, Dr.
Norman Looney for affording me the opportunity to organize this symposium, and to his very able Program Task Force.
I would particularly like to acknowledge all the assistance of Dr.
Peter Hicklenton, who guided me through the complex art of scheduling the various oral presentations and posters, and my co-editor for this volume Dr.
Patricia Bowen.
Finally, thanks to my symposium committee who assisted in locating suitable keynote speakers: Richard Hamilton (Australia), Ben-Ami Bravdo (Israel), and Nick Dokoozlian (California, USA).
A. Reynolds
Convener
PREFACE
The papers contained in this volume of Acta Horticulturae report the proceedings of a symposium on Viticulture – Living with Limitations.
Keynote speakers and authors of selected contributed oral and poster presentations were given the opportunity to submit a manuscript for publication.
These manuscripts were reviewed by the symposium Editors and other referees.
Only those papers judged suitable for publication following the authors consideration of reviewer suggestions appear in this volume of Acta Horticulturae.
The ISHS acknowledges and appreciates the contribution of all editors and reviewers.
They have made a significant contribution to assuring the quality of this publication.
The ISHS Board of Directors
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