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Research: State Government Projects

Development of a Pennsylvania Vineyard Site Assessment System

Funding Agency: PA Dept of Agriculture
Primary Researchers: Anmin Wu, Rick Day
Online Mapping System: http://vineyardmap.psu.edu

Development of a Pennsylvania Vineyard Site Assessment System

Suitable Areas for Vineyards (York, PA)The Pennsylvania Vineyard Site Assessment System (PVSAS) is being developed to evaluate vineyard suitability of potential locations throughout Southeastern Pennsylvania ( SE PA ). The initial PVSAS model ranked the land suitability by assigning weights to land use, elevation, slope, aspect, soil drainage and soil depth based upon expert knowledge.

Climatic variables and some soil characteristics influential to winegrape growing are currently not included in the PVSAS model. The intention of this project is to increase the scope of environmental parameters critical to winegrape growing and to improve the mechanism of the PVSAS model.

Digital boundaries and important site characteristics of 23 high quality winegrape vineyards in SE PA were collected and analyzed on a field basis using geospatial technologies. B ased on spatial data analysis, the PVSAS Average Seasonal Growing Degree Days (Pennsylvania) indexing model will be reviewed and modified.

Spatial climatic data layers of Pennsylvania are required for the PVSAS model. Long-term seasonal growing degree days, frost-free period and low winter temperature are being mapped using daily temperature data from National Climatic Data Center (NCDC)'s cooperative weather stations.

The final vineyard site suitability map may benefit local government, extension agents and potential grape growers to make better decisions for vineyard site selection in southeastern Pennsylvania.