Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/717894
www.goodfruit.com Good Fruit Grower SEPTEMBER 2016 25 Even though the soil itself seems con- sistent, any changes to the topography can change the soil characteristics, said Dan Rooney of Trimble Agriculture, the owner of the system. "We do a lot of mapping of crops where it's flat, and I can tell you, there's no such thing as a flat field," Rooney told growers at an Oregon State University Extension field day at the vineyard in June. Even a tilt a half-per- cent or 1 percent in one direction makes "a huge difference over time in terms of organic matter and nutrient buildup, and it changes the soils as a function of that topography." The models serve as a sort of MRI of the soil, Roser said, and with it they were able to determine vineyard spacing — 7 feet between rows, 5 feet between vines — irrigation blocks and clone selections. "Even with soil so uniform, we did find some variations, but we added some dif- ferent clones based on slope and aspect, thinking we could get some different expressions of the fruit," he said. So far, five different clones have been planted — clones 113, 459 and 828, Wädenswil UCD 2A and Pommard — on a vertical shoot positioning system. "If you get the right growth spacing, based on your sunlight models, you're getting good shading for the fruit and getting it good protection," Roser said of the trellis choice. Martin tours the company's estate vineyard in late May with Dan Rooney. AVOID THE ORCHARD OF NO RETURN WITH SOIL FUMIGATION CALL TODAY TO SCHEDULE YOUR APPLICATION: Northwest Washington: Tim Purcell 360-630-4285 Yakima Valley: Robert Rauert 509-728-2004 Columbia Basin: Jason Rainer 509-731-5424 Columbia Basin/Western Oregon: Ryan Kelsey 509-481-5998 Okanogon Valley: Adam Zediker 509-828-0691 Hood River/The Dalles: David Sbur 971-563-8848 Office 360-225-3588 Soil fumigation in replanted orchards produces earlier, bigger yields and higher profits—not just in the early years, but over the life of the orchard. Trident Agricultural Products can help you create that orchard. With 30+ years of experience, Trident is the Pacific Northwest's soil fumigation specialist. Trident offers custom application of Telone II/Chloropicrin fumigants. Applications can be made in tree fruit, hops, grapes, berries and nursery crops. Telone and Chloropicrin are federally restricted use pesticides. Telone II is a registered trademark of the Dow Chemical Company. Always read and follow label directions.