Wample Joins Soil Analysis Firm
Longtime V&E chairman at CSU Fresno will help clients tailor plans for vineyard management
A map from Soil Topography Information pinpoints sites where data was collected.
Fresno, Calif. -- Plant physiology expert Dr. Robert Wample is joining Soil and Topography Information LLC, company executives told Wines & Vines. Wample, the longtime chairman of the Department of Viticulture and Enology at California State University, Fresno, announced his retirement from the university in April, sparking interest in what he would do next.
Wample holds a Ph.D. in plant physiology from the University of Calgary and a bachelor's degree in botany from the University of Idaho. He has held his position in the V&E department, as well as that of the Julio Gallo chair and director of the Viticulture and Enology Research Center, since May 2000.
Dr. Robert WampleWample came to Fresno State from Washington State University, where he began work as an assistant professor of horticulture in 1979, ultimately serving as professor/horticulturist/viticulturist from July 1993 until April 2000.
According to Skip Granger, owner of Starry Night Winery (starrynightwinery.com) and backer of Soil Topography Information (STI), Wample will be a full-time member of the STI staff, offering his consulting services to clients who utilize STI's Soil Information System to analyze their vineyard soil.
After gathering data from driving a sensor-laced probe into vineyard soil, Soil Information System (SIS) provides clients with a detailed breakdown of elevation, soil makeup, moisture and drainage availability, mineral components and other information. (For more details, see the "Vineyard View" column in the September issue of Wines & Vines.)
Based on the data gathered through an SIS analysis, Wample plans to use his expertise in vineyard physiology to provide clients with vineyard management plans that are tailored to meet their specific needs.
By addressing the soil needs of various vineyard zones individually -- rather than using the same amount of irrigation or mineral applications across the entire site -- clients can potentially save thousands of dollars, said David Sypnieski of STI. And that sort of detailed plan is where Wample comes in.
"Bob says he's never been able to get data as good as this as fast as this," Granger said, gesturing to a thick stack of maps detailing everything from electromagnetic conductivity to subsurface drainage plans. "If someone is getting $6,200 a ton for her grapes, she needs to know what's out there to grow them the best that she can."