Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

The Southern Extension Research Activity 14 held its 2008 Annual Meeting September 30 -October 2 in Dahlonega, Georgia. States with representatives attending were Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee and Texas with state reports submitted by Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. On the evening of September 30, the Group attended a reception featuring Georgia Wines at Montaluce Winery and Estates. On the morning of October 1, the Group departed for a tour to Wolf Mountain Vineyards hosted by Brannon Boegner. The next stop was Blackstock Vineyards with a tour of the winery and vineyards given by David Harris, followed by a plated lunch at the vineyard. After lunch, Craig Kritzer was host for a tour of Frogtown Cellars which had just received the award for Georgia's top red wine from Georgia Trends magazine. The next stop was Three Sisters Vineyards where Doug and Sharon Paul provided a tour of the winery and vineyard with a free tasting. Three Sisters recently won the award for Georgia's best dessert wine. The day concluded with a Dutch treat dinner at Piazza Ristorante. The business meeting convened at the Dahlonega Parks and Recreation Community Center at 8:30 a.m. on October 2. The meeting was called to order by the Co-Chairperson, Dave Lockwood (University of Tennessee). Dave 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. He also announced that as most everyone was aware, renewal/extension of SERA 14 was approved for another five years with the suggestions that Appendix E be completed to include all participants, and that members of the Group should consider submitting a joint proposal to the Specialty Crops Research Initiative (SCRI). The meeting proceeded to a discussion of state reports from those present. Hard copies of state reports were distributed and the attendees verbally reviewed the high points. It continues to be highly evident that the wine and grape industry in the Southern Region continues to grow. Following these discussions, the request of Justin Morris to consider pursuing cooperative SCRI grants was discussed. Members were instructed to contact either Justin or Dave if interested in pursuing any such grants. Bill Morris was named as the recipient of the 2008 Nesbitt Award in honor of his extensive research and Extension work on Muscadine grapes in Tennessee and North Carolina. Bill had fallen ill the week before and was unable to attend the meeting. Dave Lockwood reported that the Nesbitt Award would be awarded to Bill at the Wines of the South Wine Competition, and requested that the members of the group refrain from congratulating Bill until after the award is presented. The location of the next meeting was discussed at length and the possibility of meeting in conjunction with other already scheduled meetings (e.g. ASHS, SAAS) was considered. However, the consensus of the group was that late September/early October is the best time to meet, which eliminates the possibility of meeting in conjunction with many of these meetings. It was decided to contact Justin Morris and suggest the University of Arkansas as the meeting site for 2009. The date of the 2009 meeting would be determined by the host; however, due to the likelihood of a continued shortage of travel funds, it may turn out that the meeting may not be held.. It was further decided that the 2010 meeting will be hosted by Florida A&M University (Dr. Jiang Lu). It was decided that the Chair of the group for 2009 (and coordinator of the next annual meeting) would be determined when the location is finalized. Tony Johnston (Middle Tennessee State University) was elected to serve as Secretary for the group for the 2009 meeting. There being no further business to conduct, the meeting was adjourned by Dave Lockwood at 11:50 pm. The minutes of the Business Meeting and the state summary reports are being posted on our website http://sera-ieg-14.tamu.edu/

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 440 wineries in the region produce in excess of 5,200,000 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 continued work supported by 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. For the past three years, a Viticulture and Enology Extension Leadership Conference, conducted under the auspices of the NGWI Extension and Outreach Education Committee, has been held. Originally intended to help identify national priorities and to pursue collaborative projects, participants in SERA14 attending the Conference have discovered a valuable opportunity for informal discussion and interchange with others around the country holding similar responsibilities. 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. Monthly tailgate meetings are held at the three "lighthouse" vineyards throughout the season. The meetings emphasized the management practices occurring at that time, especially pest management practices. The tailgate BMP program has been very well received by growers. A BMP workbook that will define what the best management practices are and how and when they are to be applied for maximum benefit will be developed this winter and reviewed by a committee composed of industry personnel. 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. The Gulf Coast Pierces Disease (PD) Research vineyard evaluates grape varieties with high potential for PD tolerance. Many PD tolerant hybrid grapes, such as Blanc Du Bois and Black Spanish, are the standard varieties in PD hot zones, such as the Texas Gulf Coast. The standard PD tolerant varieties will be tested along side of multiple potential PD tolerant varieties from breeding programs at the University of California, Davis and Florida A&M University. The Midwest Grape and Wine Conference, held in February at Osage Beach, Missouri, this year showcased the Dr. Justin R. Morris Vineyard Mechanization Symposium. Dr. Justin Morris was the keynote speaker at this symposium named in his honor. Research enologists, academics and grower representatives from Australia to Italy and New York to California gathered to share in the latest research and promote the future of mechanization.

Alves, E., B. Leite, R.C. Marucci, S.F. Pascholati, J.S. Lopes and P.C. Andersen. 2008. Retention sites for Xylella fastidiosa in four sharpshooter vectors (Hempitera: Cicadellidae) by scanning electron microscopy. Current Microbiology 56(5):531-538. Dhekney, S.A., Z.T. Li, M. Dutt and D.J. Gray. 2008. Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of embryogenic cultures and regeneration of transgenic plants in Vitis rotundifolia Michx. (muscadine grape). Plant Cell Rep. 77:865-872. Dutt, M., Z.T. Li, S.A. Dhekney and D.J. Gray. 2007. Transgenic plants from shoot apical meristems of Vitis vinifera Thompson Seedless via Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Plant Cell Rep. 26:2101-2110. Dutt, M., Z.T. Li, S.A. Dhekney and D.J. Gray, 2008. A co-transformation system to produce transgenic grapevines free of marker genes. Plant Science 175:423-430. Johnson, D. 2008. Overview of grape insect pests and pest management. In Program and Proceedings of the Midwest Grape and Wine Conference 23:17-30. Kamas, J., E. Hellman, P. Adams, T. Burns, F. Pontasch, and F. Westover. 2008. Starting a Vineyard in Texas  A Guide for Prospective Growers. Texas Dept. Agriculture. Austin, Texas. Kim, T., W. L. Weng, J. Stojanovic, Y. Lu, Y. S. Jung and J. L. Silva . 2008. Antimicrobial Effect of Water-Soluble Muscadine Seed Extracts on Escherichia coli O157:H7. J Food Prot. 71:1465-1468. Li, Z.T., S.A. Dhekney, M. Dutt, and D.J. Gray. 2008. An Improved Protocol for Agrobacterium-Mediated Transformation of Grapevine. Plant Cell Tiss. Organ Cult. 93:311-321. Main, G. and J.R. Morris. 2008. Mechanical and minimal pruning of Cynthiana grapes: Effects on yield components and juice and wine composition. In Proceedings of the Justin R. Morris Vineyard Mechanization Symposium, R.K. Striegler, A. Allen, E. Bergmeier, and J. Harris (Eds.). Pp. 97-111. 23rd Annual Midwest Grape and Wine Conference, Osage Beach, Missouri. February 2-3, 2008. Main, G.L. and J.R. Morris. 2008. Impact of pruning methods on yield components and juice and wine composition of Cynthiana grapes. Amer. J Enol. Vitic. 59:179-187. Meullenet, J-F., C. Lovely, R. Threlfall, J.R. Morris, and R.K. Striegler. 2008. An ideal point density plot method for determining an optimal sensory profile for Muscadine grape juice. Food Quality and Preference 19(2):210-219. Morris, J.R. 2007. Development and commercialization of a complete vineyard mechanization system. HortTechnology 17(4):411-420. Morris, J.R. 2008. Considerations for Starting a Winery. Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Report 983. J.R. Morris. 2008. Commercialization of the Morris-Oldridge Vineyard Mechinization System. In Proceedings of the Justin R. Morris Vineyard Mechanization Symposium, R.K. Striegler, A. Allen, E. Bergmeier, and J. Harris (Eds.). Pp. 9-25. 23rd Annual Midwest Grape and Wine Conference, Osage Beach, Missouri. February 2-3, 2008. Morris, J.R., G.L. Main, R.T. Threlfall, and R.K. Striegler. 2008. Initial impact of pruning and fruit thinning applications on growth and composition of Concord and Sunbelt grapes. In Proceedings of the Justin R. Morris Vineyard Mechanization Symposium. R. K. Striegler, A. Allen, E. Bergmeier, J. Harris (Eds). Pp. 112-129. 23rd Annual Midwest Grape and Wine Conference, Osage Beach, Missouri. February 2-3, 2008. Pszczolkowski, M., K. Hampton and D. Johnson. 2008. Sexual characteristics in a Midwestern population of Cotinis nitida and consequences for sexing the green June beetle. J. Econ. Entomol. (in press). Stafne, E.T. 2008. Indices for assessing site and winegrape cultivar risk for spring frost. Int. J. Fruit Sci. 7(4):121-132.