HOW DO GRAPEVINES COPE WITH GRASS COMPETITION: INTEGRATING PHYSIOLOGICAL AND OMIC APPROACHES

grass groundcovers are considered an alternative practice to herbicide or tillage in fruit cropping systems. grasses impart a multitude of benefits to vineyards and orchards, including improved soil quality and decreased management costs. while growers are interested in integrating grasses in fruit cropping systems, concerns of over-competition for soil resources and reductions in yield have limited adoption of the practice. with a better understanding of the crop responses to competition, we may be able to design successful pairings of crop varieties and grass species.the goal of this project is to identify how humid-climate grapevines can exhibit little-to-no reductions in growth when competing with groundcovers, despite a substantially reduced root system size and access to soil nitrogen. this study will use targeted measurements of root physiology, gene expression, and metabolismsin response to groundcover and rootstock practices. this transdisciplinary project will include cross-campus collaborations (penn state university and uc davis) and supports the training of a graduate student with extensive professional development activities, including: methodological training, international workshop and symposium planning, and extension activities.