Characterizing Willamette Valley Soil Moisture and Grapevine Response under Drying Seasonal Conditions

A commercial vineyard in the north Willamette Valley was selected for this research based on the availability of three soil classes of interest that contain vineyards of the same age, cultivar and rootstock. The soil types include volcanic soils, sedimentary soils, and marine sediment soils. Soil moisture sensors were purchased in fall 2019 and installed in January 2020 into two monitoring sites within each soil classification. Soil probes were installed to a depth of 18 and 36 inches under-vine and in the middle of the alleyway between rows. Sensors are currently measuring soil volumetric soil moisture and temperature continuously and will be monitored for three growing seasons. The first vineyard measurements began in 2020. Since funding was received four months prior to this reporting, there is no data to report at this time.