CropWatch in the Adelaide Hills wine region

Abstract

CropWatch in the Adelaide Hills wine region

Summary

CropWatch in the Adelaide Hills Wine Region commenced in Septembers 2007. Weather stations and vineyards spread throughout the region in key locations have been utilised to collect weather data and vine/vineyard information that is compiled in to bulletins that are sent to members of the Adelaide Hills Wine Region.

In total, 28 CropWatch bulletins were complied and sent to members either by fax of e-mail and two Downy Mildew alerts were issued. From September to May bulletins were sent out fortnightly and from May to August they were sent monthly.

Initially the service’s aim was to provide members with regional weather data and pest and disease prevalence in the region and information on how this can be managed. However, the bulletins were able to encapsulate much more information such as agrochemical management including withholding periods and re-entry periods, irrigation and vineyard canopy management issues, nutrition management and phenology.

Feedback from members has been extremely positive. The region has a diverse viticultural community from large scale vineyards owned and managed by publicly listed companies through to small scales vineyards run by families that have full time jobs outside the region. The bulletins contained information that was aimed to benefit all of these types of growers thus being used as a management tool as well as an educational resource.