Niagara Peninsula Research Articles

Innovative grape and wine industry research in a cool climate region

Innovative grape and wine industry research in a cool climate region Jim Willwerth, Assistant Professor and Researcher at the Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (CCOVI), discusses how the Institute is supporting the transformation of Canada’s agricultural ecosystem, and a self-reliant, sustainable model for the rest of the world. Canada’s grape and wine industry contributes $11bn to the national economy each year and sustains a workforce of about 45,000 full-time equivalent employees.(1) The Canadian grape and wine industry recognized the need for research, education and outreach. All world-class wine- producing regions have research institutes to support their industry, and visionaries of the Canadian grape and wine industry wanted the same. The Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (CCOVI) was established in 1996 at Brock University, located in the heart of the Niagara Peninsula in Ontario, Canada. It is a partnership between Brock University and key industry stakeholder groups. CCOVI is an internationally recognized research institute dedicated to the advancement of the Ontario and Canadian grape and wine industry.

From Man vs. Nature to Environment vs. Budget - The Shifting Battles in the History of Pollution and Toxicity in Hamilton Harbour

Hamilton Harbour is the principle port serving South Western Ontario and the Niagara Peninsula region with two of Canada’s largest steel manufacturers occupying the waterfront. As early as the 1860s fishery inspectors in Hamilton noted that fish tasted of coal, and that there were dead ducks and small animals that were coated in oil from refineries. In the 1950s the Hamilton Harbour was deemed unfit for recreational use and, even today, has yet to be delisted from the International Joint Commission’s Area of Concerns designations list. Giglia’s article seeks to add to the growing scholarship on the environmental history of Ontario. She analyzes historical sources of pollution and shows how they have affected Hamilton Harbor’s ecology. Furthermore, Giglia weighs the efforts and effectiveness of specific groups in their attempt to delist the Hamilton Harbour from the Area of Concerns designation list.

Assessing the influence of climate controls on grapevine biophysical responses: a review of Ontario viticulture in a changing climate

Climate change presents unique challenges for grape growers across the world. In Ontario, three distinct viticultural regions are experiencing climatic shifts towards warmer growing seasons. According to historical records collected from Environment and Climate Change Canada, Lake Erie North Shore has transitioned from an intermediate-to-warm growing season classification, the Niagara Peninsula from the lower to upper limits of the intermediate zone, and Prince Edward County from cool to intermediate, when analyzing their average growing season temperatures. Terroir is directly related to vine water status, an indicator of grapevine stress. Biophysical responses controlled by air temperature and precipitation include fluctuations in vapour pressure deficits, evapotranspiration, and water-use-efficiency rates, as well as soil water content levels. By conducting an extensive literature review, the development of a conceptual model addresses how variations in climatic controls, under the scope of climate change, may influence grapevine water status, biophysical responses, and associated production outcomes for Ontario vineyards. Cool-to-intermediate air temperatures, when paired with increased precipitation will lead to no or low vine stress, increasing photosynthesis and transpiration rates, and variable plant water-use-efficiency levels, producing higher yields and lower quality grapes, if no management strategies are applied. Oppositely, higher air temperature as a product of climate change, when paired with variable precipitation may produce mild-to-severe stress, reducing yield, and increasing grape quality. With the appropriate management strategies, both traditional and new, growers may be able to accommodate for the influence of climate change on their vineyards.

Movement of an imperiled esocid fish in an agricultural drain

Animal movement is increasingly affected by human alterations to habitat and climate change. In wetland systems, widespread hydrologic alterations from agriculture have changed the shape, function, and stability of shallow streams and wetland habitats. These changes in habitat quality and quantity may be especially consequential for freshwater fishes such as Grass Pickerel (Esox americanus vermiculatus), a small predatory fish found in disjunct populations across southern Ontario and listed as Special Concern under Canada’s Species at Risk Act. To characterize Grass Pickerel movement response to stream-channel alterations, Fisheries and Oceans Canada implemented a tracking study to monitor the movements of a Grass Pickerel population in an agricultural drain on the Niagara Peninsula (Ontario, Canada). From 2009 to 2013, 2007 Grass Pickerel were tagged and tracked in the 37.3 km2 Beaver Creek watershed using a combination of mark-recapture surveys and eight fully automated passive integrated transponder tag antennas. Most individuals moved within 500 m (i.e., stationary fish) while 16% of the fish moved > 500 m (i.e., mobile fish), with a maximum median movement distance of 1.89 km and a maximum movement distance of 13.5 km (a long-tail distribution). Most movements occurred near the largest confluence where only a few were long-distance upstream or downstream movements. Mobile fish were larger than their stationary counterparts. Grass Pickerel in sites with higher abundance had more mobile fish, implying potential density dependence. Our results highlight that, while a long-distance dispersal ability exists in extant Grass Pickerel populations, the current conditions of riverscapes may prevent these dispersals from occurring. For declining Grass Pickerel populations, limitations to their movement ecology may substantially increase the likelihood of local extirpations.

The Italian Experience in the Niagara Peninsula

The Italian Experience in the Niagara Peninsula

Preserving Winescapes amid North America’s Urban Sprawl*

Ontario’s Niagara Peninsula and California’s Napa Valley, both smaller than most of the world’s famed wine regions, exist within two of the most densely populated regions in North America. Their fields, orchards, and vineyards faced pressure from expanding metropolises and became part of ongoing debates about the loss of prime agricultural lands in Canada and the United States. In 1968, Napa County created one of the world’s first agricultural preserves to stave off sprawl. In 2005, after decades of debate, the Ontario government included the Niagara Peninsula in a greenbelt for the larger Toronto metropolitan region; its agricultural provisions mimicked Napa’s preserve. Boosters in both regions have emphasized the multifunctionality of the countryside. In the end, however, wine production and the tourism it engendered offered financial benefits that few other crops provided. Winescapes proved essential to protecting rural spaces. Yet differences also emerge in these histories. The complexity of land use and of municipalities in Niagara complicated efforts to preserve agricultural lands.

New insights into early paleoindian (Gainey) associations with proboscideans and canids in the niagara peninsula, southern ontario, canada

This paper presents the results of protein residue and use-wear analyses on stone tools recovered during complete salvage excavations of the Mt. Albion West archaeological site, located in the Niagara Peninsula of Southern Ontario, Canada. Mt. Albion West is an Early Paleoindian (Gainey) locality that yielded evidence of four activity foci and dozens of Early Paleoindian stone tools including one complete and several partial fluted bifaces. Organic residue analyses and use-wear data obtained from several tools indicate Early Paleo-Indian associations with proboscideans and canids.

Utilization of unmanned aerial vehicles for zonal winemaking in cool-climate Riesling vineyards

Individual vineyards can vary spatially for several viticultural attributes, including water stress, nutrient status, growth/vigour and disease—which can, in turn, impact berry composition and resulting wine products. The goal of this study was to determine if vineyard variability detected by remote sensing using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) could be used to zonally harvest vineyard blocks and produce wines that are sensorially differentiable. The specific hypothesis was that remote sensing would detect vineyard variation in viticultural variables and associate this variation with differences in wine sensory attributes based upon zonal harvesting. In six commercial Riesling vineyards across the Niagara Peninsula in Ontario, Canada, a UAV collected multispectral data, which were used to calculate the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). Grapevines (≈ 80) in a grid pattern were geo-located within each block and vineyard UAV NDVI maps were used for zonal harvesting of geo-located vines in areas corresponding to high vs. low NDVI. Wines made from these zones were then compared chemically and sensorially. Overall, wines created from high vs. low NDVI zones differed inconsistently in their basic wine composition. Sensorially, for certain sites and vintages, panellists distinguished between wines made from high vs. low NDVI zones using a sorting task. UAV NDVI demonstrated the ability to determine areas within a vineyard block that could produce wines that were sensorially distinguishable from one another.

Spatial variability in Ontario Riesling vineyards. II. Berry composition

Spatial variability of berry composition was studied over a 3-yr period in 10 Riesling vineyards in the Niagara Peninsula in Ontario. Vineyards were delineated using global positioning systems (GPS), and 75–80 sentinel vines were georeferenced within a sampling grid for data collection. During 2005–2007, vine water status measurements [leaf water potential (ψ)] were collected biweekly from a subset of these sentinel vines. Data were collected on soil texture and composition, soil water content (SWC; %), leaf ψ, and fruit composition. These variables were mapped using GIS software, and relationships between them were elucidated. Temporal stability in spatial patterns of soil texture and composition, SWC, leaf ψ, soluble solids (Brix), titratable acidity, and monoterpenes were examined. Spatial trends in leaf ψ and (or) SWC showed widespread evidence of temporal stability. Fruit composition variables were not as stable over a 3-yr period. Spatial trends in Brix were temporally stable in seven vineyards, free volatile terpenes were temporally stable in three vineyards, and potentially volatile terpenes were temporally stable in two vineyards. Consistent leaf ψ zones were identified, and these were temporally stable despite different climatic conditions. Furthermore, some soil variables, and particularly vine water status, may contribute significantly to the terroir effect through their effects on vine size and fruit composition. For some vineyards, many viticulture and fruit composition variables were also temporally stable. There was evidence of strong spatial relationships between leaf ψ and fruit composition, suggesting a strong relationship between berry composition and vine water status.

Role of government regulatory pressures over small wineries: A Niagara Peninsula case study of compliance effects in wine bottling

ABSTRACT This article investigates the role of government regulatory pressure over small wineries in Ontario. The underlying premise of this study is that the regulatory system is not neutral with respect to size of the business firm and that a great deal of government regulation has disproportional adverse effects on smaller businesses, contrary to the belief of policymakers. The role of regulation is discussed from the lens of Ontario’s small winery performance to develop a theoretical linkage. A case study of regulatory compliance on wine net quantity declared (NQD) is analyzed to investigate economic trade-offs that bear on the main premise of the article.

Foreigners, Felonies, and Misdemeanours on Niagara’s Industrial Frontier, 1900–30

This article examines the subject of immigrants and crime by focusing on the ethnically diverse towns and villages of the Niagara Peninsula during the period of rapid industrialization in the early twentieth century. Relying on the jail registers of Welland County, local newspapers, and oral testimonies, the study analyzes the complex encounter between immigrants from outside Britain and its white settler colonies and the Canadian justice system. It explores both the criminalization of immigrants by hegemonic Canadian groups and institutions and the nature, extent, and significance of unlawful behaviour by immigrant workers and small-scale entrepreneurs. The article is guided by the works of historians of labour, immigration, and ethnicity, leisure and recreation, and crime.

Climate change impact assessment on grape and wine for Ontario, Canada’s appellations of origin

This paper assesses the impacts of observed (1981–2010) and projected (2011–2100) climate changes on key indicators and critical thresholds for grape growth and wine production across the three appellations of origin in Ontario (Canada). The historical analysis is based on local weather station data from Environment Canada and the projections are based on selective ensembles of seasonal global climate model projections, statistically downscaled to create local-daily climate change scenarios. Average growing season temperatures have already been warming and growing degree days are increasing, both at statistically significant rates, and are both projected to continue increasing over the course of the twenty-first century. For Niagara Peninsula and Lake Erie North Shore, these one-time cool climate wine regions have already evolved into intermediate climate wine regions and are projected to transition into warm or even hot climate regions by the 2080s. There is also evidence showing that heat stress has and will likely continue to increase, while freeze damage has and likely will continue to decrease. Pruning and shading are the key short-term adaptation strategies while varietal selection is the key long-term adaptation strategy to minimize risks and maximise opportunities in response to these observed and projected regional climate change impacts.

Spatial variability in Ontario Riesling vineyards: I. Soil, vine water status and vine performance

Aim: The major focus of this research was to explain the so-called terroir effects that impact grapevine yield components, berry composition, and wine varietal character. To elucidate potential contributors to the terroir effect, vine water status [midday leaf water potential (ψ)] was chosen as a major determinant. The hypothesis of this component of the study was that consistent leaf ψ zones could be identified within vineyard sites and that vine water status would play a major role in vine performance and yield components. Soil texture was anticipated to play a role indirectly through its water-holding capacity.Methods and materials: To test this hypothesis, ten Riesling vineyards representative of each Vintners Quality Alliance of Ontario sub-appellation were selected within the Niagara Peninsula. These vineyards were delineated using global positioning systems and 75–80 sentinel vines were geo-referenced within a sampling grid for data collection. During the 2005–2007 growing seasons, leaf ψ measurements were collected bi-weekly from a subset of these sentinel vines. Data were collected on soil texture and composition, soil water content (SWC), vine performance and yield components. These variables were mapped using geographical information systems software and relationships between them were elucidated.Results: Vineyards were variable in terms of soil texture, composition, nutrition, and moisture. However, in general, few consistent relationships with soil composition variables were found. As hypothesized, consistent leaf ψ zones were identified within vineyards in all three vintages. Some geospatial patterns and relationships were spatially and temporally stable within vineyards. In many cases, spatial distribution of leaf ψ was temporally stable within vineyards despite different weather conditions during each growing season. Spatial trends within vineyards for SWC and leaf ψ were temporally stable over the 3-year period for eight vineyards. Generally, spatial relationships between leaf ψ, SWC, vine size, berry weight and yield were also temporally stable. Some inconsistencies in spatial distribution of variables were attributable to winter injury.Conclusions: Many viticultural variables such as leaf ψ, vine size, berry weight, and yield were spatially variable and, as hypothesized, consistent leaf ψ zones were identified within vineyards in three distinct vintages. Many geospatial patterns and relationships were determined and were temporally stable, and this temporal stability in these variables occurred despite different growing seasons. The strongest relationships were those concerning leaf ψ, SWC, vine size, and berry weight. No consistent relationships were found concerning soil composition. The most consistent soil variables that impacted vine performance and yield components were physical properties, particularly texture.Significance and impact of the study: Soil had some indirect effects, but leaf ψ was more likely a major contributor to the terroir effect, as it had a major impact on vine size, berry weight and yield in many vineyards across multiple vintages. Temporal stability is required for many practical geomatic applications to be initiated in vineyards, but it is also of importance to future research endeavors for this project as well as others.

Fertilization Methods for Organic and Conventional Potted Blueberry Plants

This study determined optimal fertilization for each of three production methods (i.e., two organic and one conventional) of potted Vaccinium corymbosum ‘Duke’ northern highbush blueberry plants. The three production methods were as follows: 1) organic granular [(OG) organic coir substrate fertilized with Bio-Fert General Purpose + bloodmeal applied at 4.4, 7.3, 10.2, 13.1, and 16.0 g/pot nitrogen (N)], 2) organic liquid [(OL) organic coir substrate fertilized with Bio-Fert General-Purpose Liquid + calcium oxide (CaO) applied at 12.2, 14.7, 18.6, 25.3, and 39.5 mmol·L–1 N), and 3) conventional (C; pine bark, coir, and peat substrate fertilized with Osmocote Plus 15N–3.9P–9.9K, 5- to 6-month-duration controlled-release fertilizer applied at 4.4, 7.3, 10.2, 13.1, and 16.0 g/pot N). Blueberry plants were grown in #5 black, squat nursery containers outdoors in the Niagara peninsula, ON, Canada for two (2015–16) growing seasons. Both of the organic and the conventional production systems produced healthy blueberry plants when fertilizer was applied appropriately. With fertilizer application at 4.4 and 7.3 g/pot N for C, 12.2 and 14.7 mmol·L–1 N for the OL, and 8.50 to 13.95 g/pot N for the OG treatments, healthy plant growth was observed in combination with low nutrient leaching. High fertilizer rates resulted in excessive root zone electrical conductivity (EC), poor plant growth, and interveinal chlorosis, which affected fruit production negatively. For C and OL treatments, fertilization at rates of 4.4, 7.3 and 10.2 g/pot N, and 12.2, 14.7, and 18.6 mmol·L–1 N, respectively, produced the greatest total fresh weight of fruit. For OG, a large total fruit fresh weight was produced by all plants with no difference among fertilizer rates. This study suggests optimal fertilizer rates from 4.4 to 7.3 g/pot N for C, 12.2 to 14.7 mmol·L–1 N for the OL treatment, and from 8.50 to 13.95 g/pot N for the OG treatment can be applied based on the methods described in this study during potted blueberry production in nurseries and home gardens.

Evaluation of Nine Canadian Retail Consumer Potting Mixes for Growing Container Plants

Commercially available Canadian retail potting mixes were evaluated for physical and chemical properties, as well as for plant performance of petunia (Petunia ×hybrida ‘Storm Pink’), tomato (Solanum lycopersicum ‘Better Bush’), and zonal geranium (Pelargonium ×hortorum ‘Savannah Red’) plants grown outdoors at the Vineland Research and Innovation Center in the Niagara Peninsula in Ontario, Canada. Chemical properties, but no physical properties, resulted in significant correlation with plant growth index, overall appearance, and yield (i.e., flower, fruit, or inflorescence number for petunia, tomato, and zonal geranium, respectively). The performance of all species was best when initial potting mix pH and electrical conductivity (EC) values were in the ranges of 5.20 to 6.17 and 2.76 to 4.33 mS·cm−1, respectively. The physical properties of the container capacity, total porosity, air space, and bulk density were acceptable for all plants in this study and ranged from 71% to 80%, 78% to 96%, 8% to 20%, and 0.08 to 0.22 g·cm−3, respectively. The minimum concentrations of the initial nitrate (NO3−), ammonium (NH4+), phosphorus (P), and potassium that were acceptable were 104.4, 61.3, 47.9, and 150.5 ppm for petunia and 96.8, 61.3, 51.7, and 143.3 ppm for tomato, respectively. The minimum concentration of NO3− that was acceptable was 66.1 ppm for zonal geranium. Overall appearance at 4, 8, and 10 weeks after transplanting was correlated with initial potting mix EC, NO3−, and calcium for all species, with pH, NH4+, and P for petunia, with P for tomato at all time points, and with P for zonal geranium after 10 weeks. Although it is difficult to discern how each nutrient impacts plant performance, this study indicated that it is essential to have a balanced and adequate supply of nutrients in consumer potting mixes. The ability of a potting mix to maintain an appropriate pH for the duration of the growing season may prevent nutrient deficiency symptoms, especially for pH-sensitive species like petunia. This study is the first to provide a benchmark of currently available retail potting mixes for Canadian consumers.

Assessing the impact of projected climate change on the future of grape growth and wine production in the Niagara Peninsula (Canada)

ABSTRACTThe impacts of projected climate change on several key climatic indicators for grape growth and wine production are assessed for the Niagara Peninsula (Canada). Global Climate Model outputs are evaluated and ranked for the study region to create selective ensembles of seasonal climate change projections. Statistical downscaling is performed to create local, daily, climate change scenarios. Average growing season temperature and the number of growing degree days have been increasing over time (1981–2010) and are projected to increase further under climate change (2011–2100). There were trends in total accumulated growing season precipitation or in the number of days with total precipitation greater than 10 mm, but slight increases were still projected under climate change. Minimum winter temperatures were warming over time and the number of days with temperatures below −20°C were decreasing, with both these trends projected to continue. There were no statistically significant trends associated with maximum summer temperatures or the number of days with temperatures above 30°C, but both were projected to increase considerably in the future. A warmer, wetter climate in the region is expected to lengthen growing seasons, increase growth potential, diminish risk of winter freeze damage, while increasing summer heat stress.

Convection Initiation Aided by Lake-Breeze Convergence over the Niagara Peninsula

AbstractObservations from the 2015 Environment and Climate Change Canada Pan/Parapan American Science Showcase (ECPASS) and real-case, cloud-resolving numerical simulations with the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model are used to investigate two cases of moist convection forced by lake-breeze convergence over southern Ontario (18 July and 15 August 2015). The two cases shared several characteristics, including high pressure conditions, similar morning soundings, and isolated afternoon convection along a line of lake-breeze convergence between Lakes Erie and Ontario. However, the convection was significantly stronger in the August case, with robustly deeper clouds and larger radar reflectivities than in the July case. Synoptic and mesoscale analyses of these events reveal that the key difference between them was their large-scale forcing. The July event exhibited a combination of strong warm advection and large-scale descent at midlevels (850–650 hPa), which created an inversion layer that capped cloud tops at 4–6 km. The August case exhibited similar features (large-scale descent and warm advection), but these were focused at higher levels (700–400 hPa) and weaker. As a consequence, the convection in the August case was less suppressed at midlevels and ascended deeper (reaching over 8 km). Although the subcloud updraft along the lake-breeze convergence zone was also found to be stronger in the August case, this difference was found to be an effect, rather than a cause, of stronger moist convection within the cloud layer.

Temporal and spatial changes in bacterial diversity in mixed use watersheds of the Great Lakes region

Abstract Environmental water monitoring is an important responsibility of municipal governments. In this study, we partnered with several municipalities in an extensive sampling program to investigate the effects of spatiotemporal and environmental factors on bacterial diversity in a complex watershed ecosystem containing specific environments including creeks, a river, canals, stormwater outfalls and freshwater lakes of the Niagara Peninsula. Samples were collected using standard municipal protocols and bacterial DNA extracted from these samples was sequenced using high-throughput DNA sequencing targeting the V3–V4 regions of the 16S rRNA gene. Average taxonomic richness and alpha diversity differed significantly between samples collected from lakes and creeks (P

Survey for major viruses in commercial Vitis vinifera wine grapes in Ontario

BackgroundIn recent years, the Ontario grape and wine industry has experienced outbreaks of viral diseases across the province. Little is known about the prevalence of viruses and viral diseases in Ontario. Since 2015, we have conducted large-scale surveys for major viruses in commercial wine grapes in order to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the prevalence and severity of viral diseases in Ontario.MethodsA total of 657 composite leaf samples representing 3285 vines collected from 137 vine blocks of 33 vineyards from three appellations: Niagara Peninsula, Lake Erie North Shore and Prince Edward County. These samples covered six major red cultivars and five major white grape cultivars. Using a multiplex RT-PCR format, we tested these samples for 17 viruses including those involved in all major viral diseases of the grapevine, such as five grapevine leafroll-associated viruses (GLRaV-1, 2, 3, 4, 7), grapevine red blotch virus (GRBV), grapevine Pinot gris virus (GPGV), grapevine rupestris stem sitting-associated virus (GRSPaV), grapevine virus A (GVA), grapevine virus B (GVB), grapevine fleck virus (GFkV), arabis mosaic virus (ArMV), tomato ringspot virus (ToRSV), trapevine fanleaf virus (GFLV), among others.ResultsFourteen of the 17 viruses were detected from these samples and the predominant viruses are GRSPaV, GLRaV-3, GFkV, GPGV and GRBaV with an incidence of 84.0, 47.9, 21.8, 21.6 and 18.3%, respectively. As expected, mixed infections with multiple viruses are common. 95.6% of the samples included in the survey were infected with at least one virus; 67% of the samples with 2–4 viruses and 4.7% of the samples with 5–6 viruses. The major grape cultivars all tested positive for these major viruses. The results also suggested that the use of infected planting material may have been one of the chief factors responsible for the recent outbreaks of viral diseases across the province.ConclusionsThis is the first such comprehensive survey for grapevine viruses in Ontario and one of the most extensive surveys ever conducted in Canada. The recent outbreaks of viral diseases in Ontario vineyards were likely caused by GLRaV-3, GRBV and GPGV. Findings from this survey provides a baseline for the grape and wine industry in developing strategies for managing grapevine viral diseases in Ontario vineyards.

“A journey undertaken under peculiar circumstances”

When his 1837 Upper Canada Rebellion came to a sudden end with the routing of rebels at Montgomery’s Tavern on 7 December, William Lyon Mackenzie was forced to run for his life. With a price on his head, travelling mostly by night—west toward the Niagara Escarpment, south around the end of Lake Ontario and then east across the Niagara peninsula—the rebel leader made his way from a village north of Toronto to safety across the Niagara River in the United States. His journey of more than 150 miles took five days ( four nights) on foot, on horseback, and on wagon or sleigh, was aided by more than thirty different individuals and families. At great personal risk, they fed him, nursed him, hid him, advised him, accompanied him. This article maps Mackenzie’s exact route, identifies those who helped him, and reflects on the natural hazards and human perils he encountered.