I am pleased to announce an exceptional educational opportunity - the
first Texas Viticulture Short Course, to be held January 12-14 at the
Texas Tech campus in Junction, Texas.  This three-day short course is
modeled after the very popular viticulture short course offered by the
University of California - Davis.   The Texas Viticulture Short Course
is offered by Texas Cooperative Extension and Texas Tech University.  It
carries 21 hours of CEU credit (2.1 CEU's) and a certificate of
completion from Texas Tech University. Completion of this course also
provides 5 hours of pesticide recertification credits from the Texas
Department of Agriculture.

This intensive three-day course is designed as a comprehensive study of
the principles and practices of commercial winegrape production in
Texas. Lectures are given by viticulture specialists and faculty members
of Texas Tech University, Texas A&M University, and the University of
Houston- Downtown. Participants will gain an understanding of the basic
physiology and anatomy of grapevines. Building on this foundation,
participants will learn practical production practices for vineyard
establishment and management for high quality fruit production. Topics
include site selection, soil properties, variety and rootstock
selection, training systems, canopy management, vine nutrition and
fertilization, irrigation scheduling, and disease and pest management.
Fruit ripening, sampling procedures and harvest criteria will also be
discussed. A field trip to a local vineyard will provide a
"hands-on" experience in pruning practices and discussion of
training methods.

Enrollment is limited to 50 participants on a first-come,
first-enrolled basis.

A short course brochure with registration materials is attached to this
message.  You may also view additional information and register online
at the Viticulture Short Course webpage:

http://www.dce.ttu.edu/outreach/viticulture/


Best regards,

Ed Hellman
Associate Professor, Viticulture
Texas A&M University
Agricultural Research and Extension Center
Rt. 3, Box 219
Lubbock, TX 79401-9757

e-hellman@tamu.edu
Phone 806-746-6101
Fax  806-746-6528
Website:  http://winegrapes.tamu.edu