Information for Growers

Below are summaries of talks and/or articles about research in the Environmental Physiology lab. More resources can be found on the station's Grower Services page.

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Information for Cranberry Growers | Information for Grape Growers

Cranberry Resources

• Using Growing Degree Days to Determine High-Stress Periods of Cranberry Vines
  Identification of stress periods is important so that growers can ensure that conditions on the bog are optimized to allow vines to photosynthesize efficiently and manufacture as much energy from the sunlight as possible, resulting in more carbohydrates available to fuel growth...
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• Physiology 101: Carbohydrates
  When I give a presentation at our winter meeting, or make some comments at a bog-side chat, I often don’t have time to provide much background on some of the issues which I’m discussing. For that reason, I’m planning to write up some short articles to provide some of that background. This first column of Physiology 101 will provide some information on carbohydrates, and why cranberry growers should be thinking about them...
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• Are you interested in holding late water this year?
  The Physiology lab has been investigating how flooding effects the growth and yield of vines. Last year we closely studied a number of late water (LW) floods being held on MA bogs. To study a flood, we measure carbohydrates in the
  uprights both before and after the flood. Carbohydrates are the energy source that the vine uses for growth and fruit production, so if carbohydrates in the vine decrease during the flood, it probably reduces yield...
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• Strategies for minimizing vine damage during harvest floods
  Harvest flooding tends to be stressful for cranberry vines. Our research has shown that fall flooding is often (but not always) damaging to the vine. There are three factors that we’ve found to have a particularly significant effect on the vines during flooding: date of flood application, flood duration, and water temperature...
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Grape Resources

• Summary of Reflective Mulch study, 2004
  As part of the SARE project in 2004, we established a study looking at the effect of Extenday® reflective mulch on Merlot, Pinot noir, and Chardonnay at Newport Vineyards in Newport, RI. The results, as reported at the Spring Grape Grower’s Workshop, were not positive...
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• New Reflective Mulch Study, 2005
  In 2005 we established a second study looking at the effect of reflective mulches on phenolic production in Merlot. The treatments were a new reflective material called Brite ‘N Up, crushed quahog shells, and a control. We did not include the Extenday fabric as it had no significant effects on phenolic production in 2004...
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