Of the 26 admissions over this seven-year period, 24 were a result of
cold injury and two of heat injury.
In the other study that was completed in late 1992, VA conducted an investigation of the late effects of "
cold injury." Cold has long been recognized as a serious environmental-health hazard.
Icommented in the January-February "Viticulture Notes" (2004) that the 2003-04 winter was shaping up to be a winter that would cause minimal
cold injury to grapevines here in Virginia.
SATX 8262, a cold-tolerant ecotype obtained from Texas A&M University (Menn et al, 1985): Texas Common, a cold-tolerant ecotype that has been grown in Texas for many years (Duble, 1989): MSA-10, a cold-tolerant ecotype selected at Mississippi State University: Seville (Riordan et al., 1980), a patented cultivar showing an intermediate level of cold tolerance: TR6-3(DDI), an experimental from Crenshaw/Douget Turfgrass of Austin, TX, exhibiting an intermediate level of cold tolerance: and two plant introductions (PI 410356 and PI 410358) from South Africa that are highly susceptible to
cold injury (Philley, 1994).
There are certainly indirect effects of rootstocks that may help a vine to resist
cold injury or delay bud break.
Cold injury has caused major losses of winter wheat production.
He reminded the audience that, "The vine is integrated throughout its length--root tip to shoot tip--by the vascular system."
Cold injury can seriously impact the shoot root connections.
Stushnoff (1980) Relationship of low emperature exotherms to
cold injury in Vitis riparia Michx.
Even though a loss of hardiness with pruning has not been documented by the artificial freezing tests, field studies as well as grower observations have often shown greater levels of
cold injury on vines pruned early in the season.
Despite the relatively mild fall, and the subsequent December lows, there was only moderate bud and trunk
cold injury noticed at marginal vineyard sites and almost no injury observed at better sites during the 1990 season.
As an example, Wolf said that he now often recommends Cabernet franc, rather than Cabernet Sauvignon, for growers in sites where Cabernet Sauvignon suffers from
cold injury. Although Cabernet franc is not as cold-hardy as some of the hybrids, it apparently has a few degrees advantage over Cabernet Sauvignon.