Grape crops are susceptible to a number of diseases. Ensure you protect your crop against the following common suspects:
Powdery Mildew
• The main fungal disease throughout Australian Vineyards
• It is a ‘dry weather but high humidity’ disease favoured by mild, cloudy weather
• Appears in many forms, including grey-white ‘mildew’ on green tissue
• Can attack all green tissue and can cause significant crop loss
• Disease management should focus on timing, treatment and spray technique
Downy Mildew
• A disease driven by the weather, namely rainfall and temperature
• Can devastate individual vineyards and in some seasons, affect production from entire regions
• Following infection, the leaf tissue turns yellow and oil spots appear
• Has the potential to spread rapidly following primary infection with the right conditions
• Sound management strategies essential including pre-infection strategies
Botrytis
• Overwinters in decaying plant material as spores in the canopy or on the vineyard floor
• Infections are most likely to occur as a result of damage to plants or when the caps fall off
• High levels of insect damage can also lead to infection
• Damage can appear on leaves, canes, flower clusters and bunches
• Effective management should include chemical controls for disease and insect pests
PAGE NOTES -
• ADD CLICK THRU LINKS (bottom of page): to products used to assist growers with disease management
• ADD PHOTO EG OF EACH DISEASE