Grape Mystery

摘要

This winegrape problem is so poorly understood it doesnt even have a name, but it's a headache nonetheless. CALL it what you will: berry shrivel, cluster decline, whatever. Just don't say it's not a problem in California vineyards, because you'll getan argument from growers all over the state. What they see — but only in some blocks, and only some of the time — is that along about mid- to late-September, the berries will shrivel up as if the moisture is just being sucked out of them. It's not thatthe problem has been ignored. Research on berry shrivel actually goes back decades, says Pete Christensen, viticulture specialist emeritus at the University of California (UC)-Davis Kearney Ag Center. Still, it remains a mystery. "We don't know what causes it. It seems to occur if there are hot spells during ripening, especially on water-stressed vines," he says. "But a lot of grape varieties have been grown under those conditions, and they haven't shown any problems. It's a mysterious disorder."