Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

The Southern Extension Research Activity 14 held its 2007 Annual Meeting September 25-26 in Raleigh, North Carolina. States with representatives attending were Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas, with a state report submitted by Georgia. The Group met at the Ramada Inn on the morning of the 25th and departed for a tour to Irongate Winery in Mebane. After a tour of the vineyards and winery, followed by lunch, the business meeting convened at the J.C. Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh. The meeting was called to order by the Co-Chairperson, Sara Spayd (North Carolina State University). Sara offered greetings on behalf of Justin Morris, Extension Administrative Advisor to the Group, and Doug Archer, Administrative Advisor to the Group; both were regrettably unable to attend. The Group was encouraged to keep active and maintain their cooperative efforts, given the importance of these Extension and research efforts to the Southern Region. After a discussion of recent meeting locations and possible alternatives, it was decided to ask Justin Morris to host the 2008 Annual Meeting and serve as Chair. Tony Johnston volunteered to continue serving as Secretary. The dates for the 2008 are yet to be determined. Bob Bates was honored as the recipient of the 2007 Nesbitt Award in honor of his extensive research and Extension work on Muscadine grapes in Florida and the entire southeast. Significant time was spent discussing the late spring frost of 2007. This frost event significantly impacted grape production throughout the region, with severity increasing from south to north. State reports were delivered by members present. It continues to be highly evident that the wine and grape industry in the Southern Region continues to grow. Upon conclusion of these presentations, the meeting was adjourned, and the Group continued to dinner. The minutes of the Business Meeting and the state summary reports are being posted on our website http://sera-ieg-14.tamu.edu/ On the morning of the 26th, the Group gathered to depart for Hinnant's Winery in Pine Level. Following a tour of the vineyards and winery, the Group departed for Duplin Wine Cellars in Rose Hill. Duplin hosted lunch, a tour and a tasting. A visit to the Horticultural Crops Research Station at Castle Hayne followed. The day concluded with dinner at the TBD Seafood Restaurant in Wrightsville Beach.

Collaborative research and Extension activities among participants New variety releases and production systems; product development and product quality evaluation Research and Extension publications and other education and technical information materials Over 400 wineries in the region produce in excess of 4,500,000 gallons of wine annually. A conservative estimate of the yearly gross retail value of these wines exceeds one quarter of a billion dollars. Grape and wine production is an important alternative agricultural enterprise in the Region. The Southern states have a strong tradition of making a living from a well-tended, sustainable, small farm. In many states, much acreage formerly planted in tobacco is now being planted in grapes. SERA 14 participants help to sustain this agrarian tradition, with its strong work ethic and excellent agricultural land and climate, to enhance the potential for the continued economic well-being of these small farmers. The Institute of Food Science and Engineering of the University of Arkansas received an NRI grant to help small and medium-sized farms and entrepreneurs enhance the viability of their operations through the establishment of vineyards, on-farm wineries, and production of value-added products from grapes and grape by-products. All of our activities are consistent with, and speak to fulfillment of, our five stated Objectives with the outputs among those listed for each of those objectives. The SERA 14 website http://sera-ieg-14.tamu.edu/ provides participants the ability to share information and more importantly provides a mechanism to widely disseminate research results and information to all stakeholders. Increased efforts to increase the visibility of the Groups activities will increase the value of those activities to our stakeholders. SERA 14 researchers are actively involved in the activities of the National Grape and Wine Initiative (NGWI). The NGWI is a nationwide coalition representing all segments of the grape industry including raisins, juice, table grapes and wine. NGWI membership includes grape growers, processors, wineries and representatives of academic institutions committed to improving the grape industry. Pruning, shoot thinning, and fruit thinning are three labor intensive operations that can be mechanized within the Morris-Oldridge Vineyard Mechanization System (M-O System). OXBO International Corp. has licensed the use of the patented M-O System and commercially implemented it through machinery that is now being marketed under the trade name KorvanTM Vineyard. In July 2007 University of Arkansas researchers again traveled to the French Camp Vineyards near Paso Robles, California where research studies continue to be conducted to validate the effectiveness of the M-O System. Data from these studies have been used to develop budgets to estimate the economic impacts of mechanizing these operations. Budgets were developed for three trellising systems used by French Camp Vineyards and common to other commercial vineyards in the region. These are the vertical shoot positioned (VSP), modified 2 ft. lyre, and 3 ft. quadrilateral (quad) trellising systems. The increase in interest in grape production that exists in almost every state in the Region has led to an increase in the number of programs to assist growers. State advisement programs common throughout the Region include workshops, field days, conferences, production short courses, newsletters, electronic advisories, site visits. A three-year cooperative project of Missouri and Arkansas concerned with vineyard best management practices continued. Plots were set out in three "lighthouse" vineyards in each state to demonstrate the effects of specific practices, and data is collected from each. Monthly tailgate meetings are held at these lighthouse vineyards throughout the season. These meetings emphasize the management practices occurring at that time, especially pest management practices. This tailgate BMP program has been very well received by growers. Extensive and intensive research and Extension materials concentrating on muscadines are provided throughout the Region. These educational efforts are being assisted by a growing number of agencies in the various states providing financial assistance to their nascent muscadine industries. Additional SERA 14 website links to existing and developing Muscadine resources have been posted. An example is the update of The Muscadine Experience: Adding Value to Enhance Profit. New material added to this booklet includes data comparing the cost of establishing a muscadine vineyard with the costs for other types of grapes and operating costs for vineyards of different grape species. Researchers at the University of Florida have identified a novel peptide with antimicrobial activity that is very effective in preventing colonization and growth of X. fastidiosa. The X. fastidiosa bacterium causes Pierce's Disease and is spread by specific insect vectors. The bacterium lives exclusively in the water vessels of a wide variety of plants, but the strain that lives in grapevines clogs these vessels, causing leaf loss and eventual death of the vine. Susceptible (Vitis vinifera) varieties of grape that express the gene for the novel peptide are resistant to Pierce's Disease, even after multiple exposures to the bacteria. This biocontrol is currently being evaluated in tests in commercial vineyards in different geographical locations and in various genotypes of grapevine. Researchers across multiple academic disciplines at several institutions are establishing a dynamic and interactive Research Center to critically examine the potential role of grape-derived polyphenolic compounds to prevent, attenuate, and possibly to arrest Alzheimer's disease cognitive deterioration. Participants presented at the Small Fruit and Grape Crop Injury Symposium at the ASHS Annual Meeting

Andersen, P.C. 2006. Performance of 20 muscadine grape cultivars in north Florida. J. Amer. Pomol. Soc. 60(3)129-135. Gurbuz, O.; Rouseff, J. M. and Rouseff, R. L. 2006. Comparison of aroma volatiles in commercial Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon wines using gas chromatography - olfactometry and gas chromatography - mass spectrometry. J. Agric. Food Chem. 54(11), 3990-3996. Main, G.L. and Morris, J.R. 2007. Effect of macerating enzymes and postfermentation grapeseed tannin on color of Cynthiana wines. Am. J. Enol. Vitic. 58:365-372. Main, G.L., Morris, J.R. and Threlfall, R.T. 2007. Use of a thin-film vacuum evaporator to produce white and dessert-style wine. Wine East 2007 Buyers Guide pp. 18, 20-23, 25. Main, G.L., Threlfall, R.T. and Morris, J.R. 2007. Reduction of malic acid in wine using natural and genetically enhanced microorganisms. Am. J. Enol. Vitic. 58:341-345. Meullenet, J-F., Lovely, C., Threlfall, R.T., Morris, J.R. and Striegler, R.K. 2007. An ideal point density plot method for determining an optimal sensory profile for Muscadine grape juice. Food Qual. Prefer. In press. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2007.06.011 Morris, J.R. 2007. Development and commercialization of complete vineyard mechanization system. HortTech. 17(4):1-10. Morris, J. R. and P.L. Brady. 2007. The Muscadine Experience: Adding Value to Enhance Profits (Revised Edition). Research Report 982. Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station. Fayetteville, Arkansas. Morris, J.R., Main, G.L. and Striegler, R.K. 2007. Rootstock and Training System Affect 'Sunbelt' Grape Productivity and Fruit Composition. J. Am. Pomolog. Soc. 61(2):71-77. Morris, J.R., Main, G.L. and Striegler, R.K. 2007. Evaluation of wines made from new cultivars. In Proceedings of 22nd Midwest Grape and Wine Conference, pp. 173-180. Osage Beach, MO. February 3-5. Reddy, J.D., Reddy, S.L., Hopkins, D.L. and Gabriel, D.W. 2007. TolC is required for pathogenicity of Xylella fastidiosa in grapevine. Mol. Plant-Microbe Interact. 20:403-410. Thomsen, M.R. and J.R. Morris. 2007. Economics of mechanizing pre-harvest vineyard operations. Wine East 2007 Buyers Guide pp.6,8,10-12,14-17. Threlfall, R.T., Morris, J.R. and Meullenet, J-F. 2007. Product development and nutraceutical analysis to enhance the value of dried fruit. J. Food Qual. 30:552-566. Threlfall, R.T., Morris, J.R., Meullenet, J-F. and Striegler, R.K.. 2007. Sensory characteristics, composition, and nutraceutical content of juice from Vitis rotundifolia (Muscadine) cultivars. Am. J. Enol. Vitic. 58(2):268-273.