Building Research Partnerships Nick Dokoozlian April 27, 2008

Keys to Building Successful Research Partnerships What is going well with SCRI funding? –Significant funding is now available for integrated collaboration –Language supporting stakeholder needs and outcomes is clear –Industry partnership is significant –Program is meeting objectives What are the opportunities for improving SCRI? –Communication with scientists –Collaboration within research community –Cross-commodity integration where appropriate –Matching funds

Building Successful Research Partnerships Define project –Identify business need driving research –Define scientific problem –Scope and scale of proposed research Identify appropriate disciplinary expertise and integration –Who and where are the best scientists? –Is the team cross-functional and trans-disciplinary? Communicate and build consensus –Industry drives business need and stays engaged with the process –Scientists drive research objectives to meet desired business outcomes

National Grape and Wine Initiative Production and Processing Efficiency Section Objective 3.1 Optimize Vineyard Production Systems for Cost, Quality and Environment Project 1: Influence of water and soil quality parameters on vine performance, production sustainability and grape and wine quality Project deliverables Defined impact of major soil and water quality parameters including salinity, permeability and toxic element concentrations (B, Na, Cl) on vine performance and production sustainability Relative rootstock and cultivar performance under high salinity and toxic elements; rootstock and cultivar recommendations for grape production under conditions of poor soil and water quality. Influence of major soil and water quality including salinity, permeability and toxic element concentrations (B, Na, Cl) on fruit and wine composition and sensory characteristics Budget Estimated budget $300,000 per year for 5 years ( ) Funding sources: AVF, Western States Viticulture Consortium; USDA-ARS; Industry Partners (vineyards, wine making, data collection). Proposed Integrated Research Team Viticulture Plant physiology Soil & water Ag Engineering Chemistry Statistics Winemaking & Sensory Environment Required Disciplines Contribution to project Personnel Vineyard management and experimental design Vine yield component analyses Gas exchange and water relations Toxic element uptake and partitioning Application of soil and water salinity treatments and manipulations Soil & water permeability and salinity measurements Mechanical or chemical remediation of salinity and toxic elements in water Fruit and wine composition Research wine making and sensory evaluations Nutrient run-off and leaching into ground water Experimental design, data analysis & modeling UCD Fidelibus Wolpert Cornell Bates Texas Tech Hellman ARS- Davis McElrone UCD Williams Smart Matthews WSU Keller Cornell Lakso ARS- Riverside Suarez ARS- Parlier Wong Ayres ARS- TBDARS – Albany Zunino ARS-Parma Lee UCD Waterhouse Ebeler Virginia Tech Zachlin Davis Ebleler Heyman Industry Lohr Gallo St. Michelle Others? ARS-UCD Steenwerth Industry guiding committee: Dokoozlian, Lohr, Smthyman, Wediker Funding Agencies: USDA-ARS, AVF, VC, CTGC,CRMB, etc.. Funding level – 500K per year for 10 years Soil & Water Science Viticulture December 2007

Next Steps NGWI Research Committees Production and Processing Efficiency –Follow-up on current SCRI proposals on water and automation –Plant nutrition is the next highest priority area in grape production Consumer Insights –Identify the impacts of grapes and grape products on human health and nutrition Sustainability –Production sustainability research, including water and carbon –Follow-up on SCRI vineyard carbon planning grant Quality –Identify the key quality constituents driving grape and grape product quality –Grape genomics, National Clean Plant Network –Follow-up on SCRI grape metabolomics proposal Outreach and Education –Follow-up on SCRI e-Extension proposal