Project Overview
Commodities
- Fruits: grapes
Practices
- Pest Management: integrated pest management
- Soil Management: soil quality/health
Proposal abstract:
Michigan's juice and wine industries rely on a consistent supply of premium-quality grapes; however, under-vine weed pressure reduces vine vigor, delays ripening, lowers yields, and compromises grape quality. Current reliance on herbicides is unsustainable due to herbicide-resistant weeds, regulatory pressure, and consumer concerns about residues in beverage crops. Non-chemical alternatives, such as cultivation, risk root injury and soil erosion, while flaming raises fire-safety concerns. These constraints threaten farm profitability, soil health, and consumer perception in grape juice and wine. Electrical Weed Control (EWC) is a promising non-chemical alternative that applies high-voltage current through weed foliage, disrupting cell membranes and killing plant tissue. Unlike herbicides, EWC is effective against herbicide-resistant species; unlike cultivation, it preserves soil health. Despite successful adoption in Europe, EWC has not been evaluated in Michigan's vineyard conditions and weed compositions. We will evaluate EWC across multiple vineyards, comparing it with standard herbicide programs, mechanical cultivation, and hand-weeding. We will measure weed control efficacy, vine vigor, yield, and fruit quality. Outreach will include field days, factsheets, and surveys. The project will provide region-specific recommendations that support economic viability, improve environmental stewardship, and enhance the quality of life for growers and their communities in the North Central region.
Project objectives from proposal:
This project will (1) evaluate the weed control efficacy of EWC across three contrasting vineyard systems and compare it with grower-standard programs; (2) assess impacts of EWC on vine vigor through canopy density, shoot growth, and pruning weights; (3) measure yield and grape quality including cluster counts, cluster weight, °Brix, titratable acidity, and pH; (4) analyze economic feasibility of EWC through partial budgets comparing labor, input costs, and equipment needs across systems; and (5) deliver results to growers through field demonstrations, conference presentations, extension factsheets, and digital outreach.