Gary Pickering says the vineyards sprawling across Niagara can serve as an early warning system for how increasing warmth is affecting agriculture. Wine grapes are good monitors of climate change impacts because of the \u201cnarrow geographic and climatic range required by most wine grape varieties,\u201d Pickering says.<\/p>\n
![\"Gary](\"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/GaryPickering-300x235.jpg\")
<\/a>Gary Pickering<\/p><\/div>\n
\u201cWithin these bands, baseline changes to any one of the key weather factors \u2014 such as heat units during the ripening season, absolute\u00a0temperatures or rainfall patterns \u2014 can\u00a0significantly affect\u00a0grape and wine quality and sustainability,\u201d says Pickering, a Biological Sciences professor who is also a researcher at Brock\u2019s Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (CCOVI) and member of the Environmental Sustainability Research Centre at Brock.<\/p>\n
Extreme weather events and dramatic temperature swings during the growing season can harm fruit quality, while extreme cold snaps during warmer-than-normal winters threaten the very survival of grapevines. Increased levels of CO2<\/sub> in the air have the capacity to attract new strains of disease-carrying insects.<\/p>\n By working closely with the research community, innovative Canadian grape growers and wine makers are identifying and working on solutions to these challenges.<\/p>\n CCOVI researchers are pleased the federal government has allotted $70 million in its 2017 budget for discovery science aimed at tackling climate change challenges. That builds on the $30 million that was earmarked for similar research in 2016.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m very excited by the news,\u201d said Pickering, who has been part of a diverse team of experts that researches early warning systems to combat damaging cold weather events, off-vine grape ripening to overcome variability in growing seasons, new types of wine and production methods, and better clone and rootstock combinations of varieties that will thrive in future conditions.<\/p>\n \u201cIncreased frequency of extreme weather events looks to be one of the biggest challenges to the industry and it\u2019s important that this fund be used to help support, maintain and even grow our grape and wine industry.\u201d<\/p>\n CCOVI director Debbie Inglis said the institute\u2019s team of scientists are well-suited to lead and partner on projects that mitigate the effects of climate change on local vineyards and capitalize on new opportunities through innovate grape growing and wine making strategies.<\/p>\n \u201cCCOVI has long established itself as an innovator in the grape and wine industry, including research into climate change adaptiveness,\u201d she said. \u201cOur VineAlert program<\/a> is a key example of this innovation, saving growers millions of dollars a year from the damaging impact of extreme cold weather events, and helping to ensure a stable grape supply.\u201d<\/p>\n CCOVI\u2019s senior staff viticulturist Jim Willwerth, whose research focuses predominantly on freeze protection and improving grapevine cold hardiness, is one of the primary investigators, along with Inglis and CCOVI Professional Affiliate Kevin Ker, from the Institute\u2019s innovative VineAlert program.<\/p>\n It operates like an early warning system for grape growers, offering real-time temperature information about their grape buds\u2019 ability to survive cold temperatures over the dormant season from October to April. This crucial information helps growers determine when protective actions such as wind machines are needed to prevent cold injury to the grapevines.<\/p>\n