Research Focus

Dr. Ed Hellman's research focus is viticulture, primarily investigating grapevine adaptation to climate and vineyard management practices. Hellman conducts grape cultivar and rootstock evaluations and collaborates with Dr. Thayne Montague in studies of environmental effects on grapevine physiology. He also collaborates with the Knowledge Engineering Lab at Texas A&M University to use geographic information systems to study climatic and edaphic conditions of winegrowing regions and to match grape cultivars to environment.

Research Spotlight - Texas Viticulture & Enology Program
Vineyard & Winery Management Magazine, Jan-Feb 2011

 

Importance of Graduate Students

"One of my major goals for graduate students is to enhance analytical thinking and problem solving skills," Hellman says. "These skills are the foundation of a successful science-based career, whether the student ultimately works in viticulture, horticulture, or an unrelated discipline". Graduate students in the viticulture program conduct research projects that address current concerns of the Texas wine industry while providing students training and experience in conducting a research project to completion.

Research Future

In the future, Dr. Hellman plans to conduct research to develop methods for vineyards to avoid crop losses from frost and hail damage. He continues to work on cultivar and root stock evaluation, and related efforts to investigate grape cultivar adaptation to environment.

Additional Links

• Texas Winegrape Network
• Ed Hellman, Ph.D. - Professor of Viticulture and Enology

 

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