Novel irrigation delivery has potential to create more climate resilient vineyards.
SEATTLE (March 15, 2023)—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.
Dr. Pete Jacoby, WSU plant ecologist, developed a novel 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, he will share the potential of direct root zone drip irrigation to maintain wine grape quality and yields with reduced water. They technology can also reduce weeds that grow under the vine row and limit canopy growth.
More recently, he 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.
About the Washington State Wine Commission
The Washington State Wine Commission (WSWC) represents every licensed winery and wine grape grower in Washington State. Guided by an appointed board, WSWC provides a marketing platform to raise positive awareness about the Washington wine industry and generate greater demand for its wines. Funded almost entirely by the industry through assessments based on grape and wine sales, WSWC is a state government agency, established by the legislature in 1987. Learn more at www.washingtonwine.org.
