Project Overview
Replacing soil sterilant practices with low, permanent ground covers in Northeast vineyards
Annual Reports
Commodities
- Fruits: grapes
- Additional Plants: native plants
Practices
- Crop Production: application rate management
- Education and Training: demonstration, extension, farmer to farmer, on-farm/ranch research, technical assistance
- Farm Business Management: budgets/cost and returns, feasibility study, agricultural finance
- Pest Management: row covers (for pests)
- Soil Management: soil quality/health
Proposal summary:
Pre-emergent herbicides are often used beneath vineyard rows to control weeds and the resulting competition. Yet resistance is growing to the use of pre-emergent herbicides, and some growers now rely solely on contact herbicides. This project will investigate the horticultural and economic effects of planting two species of ground cover in vineyard rows, leaving no bare ground prone to erosion and reducing the need for under-the-row herbicide use and between-the-row mowing. Outreach will be through newsletters, magazines, and a field day.