11/23/2024 7:15:07 PM	VIT 51 Course Outline as of Fall 2022	Changed Course
CATALOG INFORMATION
Discipline and Nbr:  VIT 51	Title:  VITICULTURE: FALL PRACT
Full Title:  Viticulture: Fall Practices
Last Reviewed:9/13/2021

Units		Course Hours per Week			Nbr of Weeks	Course Hours Total
Maximum	3.00	Lecture Scheduled	2.00		17.5 max.	Lecture Scheduled	35.00
Minimum	3.00	Lab Scheduled	3.00		15 min.	Lab Scheduled	52.50
		Contact DHR	0			Contact DHR	0
		Contact Total	5.00			Contact Total	87.50
		Non-contact DHR	0			Non-contact DHR Total	0

Total Out of Class Hours:  70.00

Total Student Learning Hours: 157.50

Title 5 Category:  AA Degree Applicable
Grading:  Grade Only
Repeatability:  00 - Two Repeats if Grade was D, F, NC, or NP
Also Listed As: 
Formerly:  AG 57A

Catalog Description:

Fall practices for wine grape production in the North Coast region, including budding, grape maturity monitoring, harvesting, pruning, varietal selection and vineyard development.

Prerequisites/Corequisites:

Recommended Preparation:
Eligibility for ENGL 100 or ESL 100

Limits on Enrollment:

Schedule of Classes Information
Description:

Fall practices for wine grape production in the North Coast region, including budding, grape maturity monitoring, harvesting, pruning, varietal selection and vineyard development.

(Grade Only)
Prerequisites:
Recommended:Eligibility for ENGL 100 or ESL 100
Limits on Enrollment:
Transfer Credit:CSU;
Repeatability:00 - Two Repeats if Grade was D, F, NC, or NP

ARTICULATION, MAJOR, and CERTIFICATION INFORMATION

Associate Degree:		Effective:		Inactive:
Area:
CSU GE:	Transfer Area			Effective:	Inactive:
IGETC:	Transfer Area			Effective:	Inactive:
CSU Transfer:	Transferable	Effective:	Fall 1981	Inactive:
UC Transfer:		Effective:		Inactive:
C-ID:

Certificate/Major Applicable: Both Certificate and Major Applicable

COURSE CONTENT

Student Learning Outcomes:
At the conclusion of this course, the student should be able to:

1.  Identify and describe vineyard practices appropriate to the late summer and fall time period.

2.  Estimate accurate crop yield projections for various vineyard blocks.

3.  Identify and explain the criteria used to determine optimum time to harvest wine grapes.

4.  Develop a farm plan and budget appropriate for the late summer and fall time period.

5.  Evaluate fall practices performed and give recommendations for improvement.

 

Objectives:

At the conclusion of this course, the student should be able to:

1. Outline the key elements in the grape harvest process.

2. Estimate the size of the grape crop through field observation and data collection.

3. Outline vineyard management procedures during harvest.

4. Summarize criteria used to evaluate grape readiness for harvest.

5. Describe techniques for grape maturity sampling.

6. Describe post-harvest cultural practices.

7. Describe pruning methods and vine balance.

8. Develop a workable vineyard budget.

9. Describe different types of grape purchase contracts.

10. Describe various crop insurance options.

Topics and Scope

I. Harvesting Grapes

    A. Vineyard sampling for sugar/acid ratios

    B. Techniques for maturity sampling

    C. Estimating crop size - crop projection

         1. Cluster counts

         2. Cluster weights

         3. Pounds (lbs.)/vine

         4. Tons/acre

    D. Vineyard management during harvest

         1. Irrigation

         2. Bunch rot control

         3. Basal leaf removal

         4. Crop load adjustments

         5. Use of refractometers and hand-held pH meters

    E. Harvest decision criteria

         1. Brix (sugar content)

         2. pH

         3. Titratable acid (T.A.)

    F. Improving grape quality concepts

         1. Color intensity

         2. Cultivar specific flavors and typicity

         3. Clones

    G. Hand vs. machine harvest

    H. Daytime vs. nighttime harvest

    I. Material Other than Grapes (MOG)

    J. Transporting grapes to the winery

II. Post-harvest Cultural Practices

    A. Post-harvest irrigation

    B. Post-harvest fertilization

    C. Post-harvest pest and disease control

III. Grapevine Pests, Diseases, and Symptoms (Fall)

    A. Fungal

    B. Bacterial

    C. Virus diseases

    D. Nematodes

IV. Erosion Control and Vineyard Winterization

    A. Cover crops

         1. Types of cover crops

         2. Criteria for selection

    B. Erosion control

         1. Drainage systems

         2. Drainage system repair and maintenance

    C. Hedgerows

V. Winter Weed Control

    A. Winter weed identification

    B. Herbicides

    C. Cultural Practices for weed control

    D. Mechanical Practices for weed control

VI. Pruning

    A. Pruning principles

    B. Pruning safety

    C. Types of pruning

         1. Cordon Pruning

         2. Cane Pruning

    D. Pruning techniques

         1. Machine pruning vs. hand pruning

         2. Pre-pruning

         3. Late pruning

    E. Vine balance for improving wine quality

VII. Farming Methodology Comparisons

    A. Organic practices and certification

    B. Sustainable practices and certification

    C. Integrated Pest Management practices

    D. Fish Friendly Farming and certification  

VIII. Vineyard Budgeting

    A. Various types of vineyard budgets

    B. Excel programs for vineyard budgeting and planning

IX. Grape Purchase Contracts

    A. Various types of contracts

    B. Long-term vs. short-term

    C. Spot market options

X. Crop Insurance

    A. Various types of crop insurance

    B. Catastrophic vs. complete coverage

XI. Pesticide Use Compliance and Reports

     A. Licensing

    B. Preparing and Submitting Pesticide Use Reports

XII. Vineyard Record Keeping

    A. Software

    B. Database management

XIII. Soil Health

     A. Definition

    B. Fertility Planning

     C. Use of traditional fertilizers

    D. Use of compost and compost tea

 

All lab topics will be aligned with lecture topics.

Assignments:

1. Weekly readings (25 - 50 pages)

2. Weekly writing assignments (2 - 5 pages)

3. Weekly lab reports (3 - 6 pages)

4. Lab activities will include:

    A. Collect cluster samples; estimate total crop in the block, test degrees Brix and pH

    B. Develop vineyard budget

    C. One demonstration of pruning grapevines

    D. Develop one winter weed control plan (3 - 6 pages)

    E. Develop one soil health and fertility plan (3 - 6 pages)

5. One midterm and one final exam

Methods of Evaluation/Basis of Grade.

Writing: Assessment tools that demonstrate writing skill and/or require students to select, organize and explain ideas in writing.		Writing 10 - 20%
Weekly writing assignments
Problem solving: Assessment tools, other than exams, that demonstrate competence in computational or non-computational problem solving skills.		Problem Solving 50 - 65%
Lab reports and activities
Skill Demonstrations: All skill-based and physical demonstrations used for assessment purposes including skill performance exams.		Skill Demonstrations 10 - 15%
Pruning grapevines
Exams: All forms of formal testing, other than skill performance exams.		Exams 15 - 30%
Midterm, Final Exam
Other: Includes any assessment tools that do not logically fit into the above categories.		Other Category 0 - 0%
None

Representative Textbooks and Materials:

Pdf files instructor prepared and loaded into Canvas course website.

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