Grapes & Wine
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Grape growers have long gauged the timing of the harvest, and quality of the fruit, based on the number of days estimated from bud break or bloom. These two reference points move around in the solar year, usually in a one month window of time. The reason for this shift has been unknown in recent times. In Biological Time, the argument is made that the timing of both these events is both synchronized to the lengths of day and night over the solar and lunar cycles. Since the timing of bud break and bloom are both synchronized in this manner so is the date of harvest (see harvest data).
The concept is simple. Plants need strong cues to synchronize their events. Solar day and night lengths are too flat and the weather is highly variable. In contrast, the lunar cycle of light changes each day in both intensity and the rising and setting of the moon. Each lunar day of cycle is different and thus can provide reliable and different cues to the plant. It turns out that the first bud break and bloom of the pinot noir grapes in Oregon's Willamette Valley occur between lunar days 23 to 4, or on both sides of the New Moon. Because the cycle of the moon does not synchronize to that of the sun, they appear to be early or late. In fact, they are always on time -- on Biological Time.
The mechanism behind this timing has been know for about 30 years. The connection between the lab work and the field just wasn't made. Long day/short night plants, which bloom in the summer, show greater synchronization of blooming when a dim light is turned on in the middle of the night. This same experience takes place in the real world about a week after Full Moon, as the moon steadily rises later each evening, so that after sunset the sky becomes dark and then illuminated again at midnight or later.
Biological Time explores this phenomena with grapes and other plants, as well as presents strategies for the grower to best manage his crops with this information. The concept is also of interest to the wine connoisseur who wishes to predict the characteristics of wines in advance.
The idea is neither new nor has it been lost in time. Ancient works of literature and art describe the practice. The solar-lunar calendars of Indians in North America still contain this knowledge. The calendar of the Nez Perce Indians in Idaho suggests that the timing of the events for flowers, roots and trees can be determined by both the sun and moon. The calendar of the Thompson Indians in British Columbia similarly states that the timing of events for plants is determined by both the sun and moon.