About 100 harvesting and winemaking professionals got a look at the latest vineyard technologies aimed to improve wine grape yield and quality.
The first-ever Vineyard Mechanization and Sensing Workshop on Saturday in the Leon S. & Peters Educational Center featured presentations on the latest technology being used by Fresno State’s viticulture and enology department.
“The last seven or eight years, we’ve been looking at production efficiency in the San Joaquin Valley, so as information accumulated we said, OK, let’s see how we can transfer this information back to the growers,” said Kaan Kurtural, co-chair of the viticulture and enology department.
Representatives from E & J Gallo Winery, American Grape Farming, Inc. and Bronco Wine Company attended the workshop.
The presentations covered mechanization strategies on improving fruit quality and quantity, effectively combating the dwindling supply of water and need for pesticides.
Dr. Serhat Asci, research fellow for the Center for Agricultural Business, presented his case study on “The Production Economics of Managing Color in Hot Climates Using Mechanization and Irrigation.” Asci’s presentation discussed how these advancements can improve the negotiating power of growers through higher quality fruit, while maintaining a sustained deficit.
“By improving quality, you might have a different market, you can sell your products at a higher price,” Asci said.