engleski

In search of practices that reduce negative impact of grapevine trunk diseases in European vineyards

Grapevine trunk diseases (GTD) encompasses several fungal diseases and numerous fungal species, that induce wood deterioration and lead to reduced yield and grape quality, causing efficient application of control strategies challenging. The main objective of Horizon 2020 project WINETWORK was to identify and collect knowledge on common and innovative control practices that winegrowers have recognized as efficient in overall GTD management. In order to answer winegrowers’ needs on GTD management and collect information significant for scientific research a survey of 219 interviews was conducted, in the framework of project WINETWORK, in ten European winegrowing regions (within seven countries). The questionnaire was compiled of general questions related with viticultural production and GTD-specific questions. Our findings indicate that winegrowers in most cases adopt practices for GTD management after initial development of leaf symptoms or when increased disease distribution is observed in vineyard. Preventative disease management is oriented to either minimization of infection rates as a result of reduced number and size of pruning wounds present in innovative pruning systems or protection of pruning wounds with biological control agents and chemical fungicides. Reduction of negative disease impact is obtained with extirpation and replantation of symptomatic vines, trunk ‘cleaning’ and trunk renewal (remedial surgery). Control strategies in grapevine nurseries are oriented to disinfection of tools and soaking of grafted vines in fungicide solution. Singularly applied treatments for trunk pathogen control had resulted as low efficient, time-consuming or expensive. The survey has identified the level of winegrowers’ general knowledge on GTD that will contribute to more specific and end-users adapted dissemination activities. It is concluded that the actual disease management consolidates different practices that minimize the development of new infections and reduce fungal inoculum in vineyard, with the aim to avoid the negative impact of GTD on vineyard sustainability, yield and grape quality. Further research is needed in order to find highly effective measures against GTD.

grapevine trunk diseases, wood deterioration, control strategies,

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