"Nebraska: the next Napa Valley?" is the title of a presentation Paul Read gives.

Unlike most of his audiences, Read doesn't laugh at that question. While Nebraska won't put the Napa Valley out of business anytime soon, the University of Nebraska horticulturist says the state has "a fledgling but rapidly growing grape and wine industry that is producing quality grapes and very drinkable wines."

The Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources researcher hopes to help this industry by evaluating grape types and varieties, growing conditions, and vine training and trellising systems in his viticulture program.

While some may question the wisdom of growing grapes in the Great Plains, Read lists some pluses. "Nebraska has abundant soil and water resources and a lot of sunshine in the growing season."

The primary challenges are diseases, late winter temperature fluctuations and herbicide drift, primarily 2,4-D.

"We want to find out what kinds of varieties will tolerate these kinds of stresses," Read said.

Since 1998, he's evaluated more than 65 cultivars and breeding lines, including traditional and new European, North American and French-American cultivars and hybrids.

Information about cultivars is critical to viticulture because grapes are an intensive endeavor. "If you lose one or two corn plants, it's no big deal. If you lose one or two grapevines, it's a very big deal," Read said.

Results are encouraging. Several cultivars appear tolerant to specific diseases and a few to 2,4-D, he said.

Some cultivars also have exhibited promise regarding dormancy and delayed bud-break in spring, critical factors in Nebraska's roller coaster late winter temperatures.

"We know we can't grow Cabernet Sauvignon because the grapes require too long a growing season, but we're testing some varieties that conventional wisdom says can't grow here. We will probably kill off lots of plants because we want to push the limits of what we can grow," he said.

Read has five research sites in eastern Nebraska and a western site near Scottsbluff. Soil type, drainage and other growing conditions vary widely among these sites.

Solar-powered weather stations at three sites are yielding data valuable in correlating weather events with grapevine winter survival and performance.

On-site research includes rootstock studies, in which less-vigorous or less-adapted cultivars are grafted onto different rootstocks better suited to this region. Very few other universities do this research.

Lab work supplements field research. Tissue culture – the growth of tiny pieces of plants such as leaves, buds and flowers in a specialized laboratory environment – is used to multiply grapevines. This offers promise for rapid multiplication of new plant types or those in short supply, Read said.

"Tissue culture combined with genetic engineering has potential to improve existing cultivars' tolerance to stresses and is an important part of our research," he said.

Read also evaluates vineyard management. This includes diverse trellising systems because the type of trellising can affect fruit quality, pest management, yield and ease of harvest.

A Richard P. and Laurine Kimmel Charitable Foundation grant helps fund this research.

–Linda Ulrich

Several grape varieties flourish on one of Read's five research sites. The NU researcher has evaluated more than 65 grape cultivars and breeding lines in his viticulture program. He hopes to help Nebraska's grape and wine industry by evaluating which varieties will tolerate stresses such as disease, late winter temperature fluctuations and herbicide drift.

Horticulturist Paul Read prunes grapevines at a research site in Nemaha County. It's part of his effort to assist the state's fledgling wine industry.