Drew Harner
- Extension Specialist
595 Laurel Grove Rd.
Winchester, VA, 22602
Overview
My appointment in the School of Plant and Environmental Sciences is 50% research and 50% extension. My research program broadly explores how vineyard environmental conditions, biotic stressors, and viticultural management practices interact to influence grapevine biology and fruit chemical composition. By integrating a range of field- and lab-based approaches, from whole-plant ecophysiological methods to fruit and wine metabolomics, we hope to improve understanding of how fruit and grapevines respond to the variable conditions of the vineyard ecosystem. My extension efforts seek to assist grape and wine producers with their production goals and provide educational resources to both new and seasoned growers.
Expertise
- Viticulture
- Fruit chemical composition
- Grapevine ecophysiology
Education
- Ph.D., Horticulture, The Pennsylvania State University, 2022
- M.S., Horticulture, The Pennsylvania State University, 2019
- B.S., Viticulture, Plant Science, Cornell University, 2016
How can we sustain quality grape and wine production under increasingly variable and challenging growing conditions? My research program aims to address this broad question within the context of Virginia and the Mid-Atlantic by using ecophysiological, biochemical, and viticultural methods to investigate the responses of grapevine physiology and fruit chemistry to biotic and abiotic stressors. We work in tandem with pathologists, entomologists, food scientists, and other researchers to improve understanding of fruit and vine biology within the vineyard ecosystem. Currently, this includes projects assessing how grape berry and canopy microclimate temperatures influence the grape volatile composition of novel, disease-tolerant grapevine cultivars, investigating grapevine nutrient management in Virginia vineyards with differing conditions and practices, and exploring the impacts of Spotted lanternfly on grapevine biology. The goal of our research is to contribute novel knowledge of grapevine biology that can be used to improve the sustainable production of wine grapes in Virginia and the broader region.
In collaboration with other Virginia Cooperative Extension personnel, I provide multiple formats of educational material that aim to assist grape growers with their production goals and provide information about pressing viticultural topics and challenges. We hold in-person and virtual workshops, meetings, and webinars throughout the year and participate in other industry-organized educational events, such as the Virginia Vineyards Association’s winter and summer technical meetings.
Assistant Professor | 2024-Present
School of Plant and Environmental Sciences
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Postdoctoral Scholar | 2022-2023
Departments of Plant Science, Plant Pathology, and Environmental Microbiology
The Pennsylvania State University
Harner AD, Smith MS, Keller ST, Hopfer H and Centinari M. 2024. Identifying an early leaf removal threshold for Grüner Veltliner, a high-yielding, high-vigor cultivar. American Journal of Enology and Viticulture 75:1. https://doi.org/10.5344/ajev.2024.23021.
Harner A, Kar S, Warren Z, Kwasniewski M and Centinari M. 2023. Does spotted lanternfly phloem-feeding have downstream effects on wine volatiles? Preliminary insights into compositional shifts. IVES Conference Series, GiESCO 2023. https://ives-openscience.eu/34231/.
Harner AD, Leach HL, Briggs L and Centinari M. 2022. Prolonged phloem feeding by the spotted lanternfly, an invasive planthopper, alters resource allocation and inhibits gas exchange in grapevines. Plant Direct 6:e452. https://doi.org/10.1002/pld3.452.
Keller ST, Harner AD, Centinari M, Elias RJ and Hopfer H. 2021. Influence of region on sensory and chemical profiles of Pennsylvania Grüner Veltliner wines. Foods 10:825. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods10040825.
Harner AD, Vanden Heuvel JE, Marini RP, Elias RJ and Centinari M. 2019. Modeling the impacts of weather and cultural factors on rotundone concentration in cool-climate Noiret wine grapes. Frontiers in Plant Sci 10:1255. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2019.01255.