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2021 Oregon Wine Symposium | Sap Flow Pruning to Prevent Trunk Disease | Poda de flujo de savia para prevenir enfermedades del tronco

| Education, Oregon Wine Symposium, Viticulture + Enology |

Sap Flow Pruning to Prevent Trunk Disease | Poda de flujo de savia para prevenir enfermedades del tronco

In 2016, the OIV (International Organisation of Vines and Wine) described grapevine trunk diseases (GTD) as one of the most relevant challenges for viticulture. A study from 2012 suggests that the worldwide economic impact of GTDs is estimated to exceed $1.5 billion per year. Considered today to be the “silent killer” of our vineyards, the pathogens will mainly attack perennial grapevine organs and eventually lead to the death of the vine, severely impacting the life and health of young vines.

With no existing curative methods that will mitigate this family of diseases, the current focus of the scientific community is to increase epidemiological knowledge in order to provide preventive measures such as rethinking our pruning methods and limiting the deadly propagation of the disease in our vineyards. During this session, Dr. Kendra Baumgartner from USDA, UC Davis, will present current knowledge on GTDs and soft-pruning expert, Mia Fischer from Simonit & Sirch, will share worldwide experience in the field and some preventive methods they advise to limit propagation of GTDs.Dr. Markus Keller, professor of viticulture at Washington State University, will provide an overview of winter in the vineyard starting from leaf fall, important considerations during the dormant phase of the vine, through pruning to bud break.

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Speaker Bios

A native of France, Thomas Savre is among the most energetic young winemakers in Oregon. He joined Lingua Franca in May 2015 from his prior position at Evening Land, where he worked closely with Dominique Lafon to create Pinot noir and Chardonnay from Seven Springs Vineyard, directly adjacent to the LS Vineyard. Thomas worked in several prestigious estates in Burgundy such as Domaine de la Romanée Conti (Vosne-Romanée) and Domaine Dujac (Morey-Saint-Denis).

At the Jules Guyot Institute, University of Burgundy, from 2008 through 2012, he earned a bachelor’s degree in wine and vine sciences. His thesis was focused on trunk disease research, working specifically on geo localization of the trunk disease called ESCA in the region of Bordeaux. Following his bachelor’s, he earned two master’s degrees, one in viticulture practices and the other in enology and winemaking. At LS Vineyard, Thomas works alongside with the talented vineyard manager to establish Guyot Poussard pruning on the 66-acre vineyard.

Dr. Kendra Baumgartner is a research plant pathologist for the USDA-Agricultural Research Service in Davis, California. As an undergraduate at forestry school in Syracuse, New York, an elective course in forest pathology set her on a path toward a career in plant pathology. She then received her Ph.D. in plant pathology from the University of California, Davis. Since joining USDA in 2000, her research on diseases of grapevines and tree crops has covered a broad range of topics, from describing novel mechanisms of fungal recombination to modeling the long-term economic benefits of managing trunk diseases. Her lab is located on the UC Davis campus. She has had the opportunity to conduct collaborative research in the labs of colleagues in the U.K. and France as a fellow of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. She led a team of eight labs working together on trunk diseases of grapes, pistachios, and almonds funded by a grant from the USDA Specialty Crop Research Initiative.
Mia Fischer is an oenologist and viticulturist who studied in Stellenbosch, South Africa. She has worked for almost a decade in ultra-premium wine production under the guidance of Professor Denis Dubourdieu, who first introduced the SIMONIT&SIRCH principles of respectful winter and spring pruning to their vineyards. The SIMONIT&SIRCH method, established by Marco Simonit and Pierpaolo Sirch, aims to strengthen and preserve vine structure, establish uniformity and reduce susceptibility to trunk diseases by focusing on improving and optimizing the vine’s vascular system. Obtaining firsthand experience in the SIMONIT&SIRCH principles and practices in South Africa and witnessing the benefits in wine quality, Mia subsequently joined the company, gaining additional experience abroad. She now operates as trainer and country manager for both the U.S. and Australia.