Abstract

The state of North Carolina, which boasted a thriving grape growing industry previous to prohibition, is moving back into the production of grapes for winemaking on a large scale. Despite the rise of opportunity for the southeastern viticulturist, the variable, high humidity climate of North Carolina poses a number of problems for the cultivation of Vitis vinifera, the european grapevine. Industry is currently dominated by synthetic chemical management, thus sustainable methods of managing vineyards in the climate of North Carolina are needed. Application of Aerated Compost Tea (ACT) in the form of both a foliar spray and soil drench has shown promise for managing diseases affecting Vitis vinifera, including powdery mildew, botrytis and a number of others. ACT application has further been shown to aid in nutrient uptake as well as the establishment of beneficial microbial communities in both soil and on foliage. In order to test the effect of ACT on a functional vineyard, four separate treatments were tested against a control group across a total of 199 Vitis vinifera vines. Treatments consisted of an ACT foliar spray, an ACT soil drench, a combination of ACT foliar and drench, a fish emulsion foliar and a control. The ultimate goal of the experiment was to ascertain which, if any of the treatments had an effect on vine health by quantifying leaf chlorophyll levels. During the time of the experiment, the region saw unseasonably high rainfall, leading to heightened disease levels. Pest pressures in combination with a deer intrusion during the experiment led to extreme defoliation across the vineyard. Due to the defoliation, very little data was able to be collected post-treatment as many of the vines did not sufficiently recover, severely impacting the intended sample size for each treatment. Statistical assessment of the treatments did not show any significant difference between treatment and control groups.

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