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Subject

National Grape Registry

Description

A project is underway to develop a National Registry for Grape Varieties and Clones (NGR) which will provide user-friendly, single-site access to information on virtually all grape material in the U.S.It is currently difficult to get information on availability and status for many grape varieties. Growers and researchers have expressed strong interest in tracking down distinctive grape varieties or clones and it is expensive and wasteful to re-import varieties that are already in the country. Development of a national grape registry has been identified as one of the highest priorities of the National Grape and Wine Initiative (NGWI) and the National Clean Planting Stock Program.

Foundation Plant Services (FPS) and the National Clonal Germplasm Repository (NCGR) in Davis have received a two-year grant from the Viticulture Consortium to develop this registry. Nancy Sweet, who just received her MS with Dr. Andy Walker, will be working full-time on this project. Nancy will collect and assemble variety information, develop the registry framework, develop an NGR website, and post variety information to that website. The initial development effort is expected to require two years. One of the first steps in developing the registry is deciding which information should be included. Facts relating to the identity and origin of each grape, with appropriate uses, will help growers track down varieties or clones. There is confusion in naming for many grape varieties, with many synonyms and even sharing of names. The NGR will contain a complete list of synonyms and naming discrepancies for the varieties available in the United States. Information on disease-testing (methods, dates, and cleanup procedures used) and identity verification will fill a much-needed gap in existing databases. Sources for grapes described in the NGR will include the National Plant Germplasm System, Davis, California and Geneva, the FPS collection, the Pacific Northwest Grape Program, other university collections, and any nursery collections wishing to be included.

Several viticultural experts will provide guidance on the database content and structure, but it is critical to get input from the grower community who will be the primary users of the NGR. Discussions with expected users of the NGR have been initiated, but input is both crucial and welcomed. Workshops to obtain client input will occur on a regular basis during development and after the website is up and running. An important element of the new registry is to develop a plan for regular updating to maintain accuracy and completeness.

Nurseries interested in including their data should contact Nancy Sweet at nlsweet@ucdavis.edu. For more information about this project, contact the project leader, Ed Stover, ewstover@ucdavis.edu.

People

Gary Ballard, Peter Cousins, Philip Forsline
Deborah Golino, Markus Keller, Ed Stover
Nancy Sweet, Andrew Walker, James Wolpert

Links

The National Grape Registry (NGR) contains information about varieties of wine, juice, and table grapes, raisins, and grape rootstocks available in the United States. Growers, nurseries, winemakers and researchers can find background information and source contacts for those grape varieties in this single convenient location.

Publications

Stover, E. and Sweet, N. 2006. The National Grape Registry: A New Website Fills an Information Gap (PDF). Foundation Plant Services Grape Program Newsletter, Fall 2006:15.

This website is a work in progress of the University of California (UC) Division of Agricultural and Natural Resources (ANR) Integrated Grape Production Workgroup. It is designed to increase accessability to the work of UC researchers, including faculty, Cooperative Extension (CE) specialists, CE advisors, and staff. UC Researchers interested in contributing content are invited to contact Deborah Golino dagolino@ucdavis.edu to discuss possible contributions.