Grapes are the highest value fruit crop in America. A tiny startup with a $225,000 grant has teamed up with Eckert Orchards of St. Clair and Jersey Counties in Southern Illinois (and a half dozen other farms as far away as Washington State) to test its technology to delay the development of grape vine buds. In the early spring, inhibiting ‘bud break’ by 10 to 14 days can help farmers avoid frost damage – one of the top weather hazards for the crop.
“We did some testing in Washington State, in Southern Illinois, but we are still doing some working on this to do testing in South America in September, where it is winter there” Manfredo Seufferheld, Ph.D told the 4thEst8. “Then we can take advantage of having two winters a year.”
FrostDefense Envirotech of Champaign, Il. (appropriately) is developing a spray technology to delay bud break without delaying the harvest. They’re also developing predictive analytics to help farmers identify when it’s best to apply the spray.
Delaying bud break will also help reduce labor costs by increasing the operating window for shoot removal, a labor intensive and costly process. FrostDefense claims that its solution is non-toxic, non-hormonal, organic and environmentally friendly.
‘I think starting anything from the ground up is challenging, there are so many moving parts, and moving to adapt and adjust those parts is challenging,” said VP of Innovation and Strategic Partnerships, Gabriel Burks Ph.D. “I think as a scientist first I’m driven by the opportunity to help people in the grandest scheme of things. A startup is an environment that is for people who enjoy challenges
This Phase I SBIR grant from the National Science Foundation’s Division of Industrial Innovation and Partnership funds field applications, as well as data analytic studies. They’ll be testing sensors for farm microclimate data acquisition, and integrating that data with meteorological information and historical weather records, to help farmers identify fields that are at risk, and when to apply the bud inhibitor to avoid frost crop damage.
