Sunridge is pleased to share with our customers our ongoing efforts and partnership with UC Davis, UC Riverside and Foundation Plant Services (FPS) to explore new technologies and techniques in grapevine propagation. Our aim is to revolutionize the way we approach and tackle challenges in the critical field of disease prevention and management. We understand the increasing concern among vineyard owners around this topic and are committed to helping find innovative solutions to mitigate these challenges and ensure the longevity and productivity of your vineyards. 

We pride ourselves on implementing a variety of treatments to our field cuttings to ensure cleanliness and guarantee the vitality of our vines from the very start. Building upon our existing practices, we are currently exploring strategies using the latest scientific research on grapevine trunk disease (GTD) mitigation to enhance our post-graft procedures, specifically to the pre-callusing stage. 

Our vines are being used in the most recent trial under Dr. Akif Eskalen and Dr. Marcelo Bustamante from UC Davis, to test the use of beneficial micro-organisms prior to the callusing process to help prevent the disease from developing. 

In a separate study, Philippe Rolshausen from UC Riverside, is studying the benefits of applying commercially available beneficial organisms to the vines at callusing and potting to test for improvements to the overall health of the vines. Sunridge has been using beneficial organisms throughout the propagation process which, along with the implementation of our state-of-the-art in-house water sanitation and fertigation system last year, has resulted in increased take rates, thriving root systems and overall cleaner irrigation pathways. We look forward to his report findings for the various beneficial organisms to dial in the protocol at an even deeper level.   

Lastly, we also welcomed Dr Luis Diaz Garcia, Grape Plant Breeder at UC Davis for a nursery tour and to discuss ideas for future collaborations to assist him with setting goals for impactful advancement in his ongoing research studies. We are honored to take part in further extensive trials for new scion and rootstock varieties that will help shape the success and resiliency of the grapevine industry as a whole.