File(s) under permanent embargo
Assessing and managing disease affected fruit in the vineyard: the Australian experience
The unusually wet season across south-eastern Australia in 2010–2011 saw grapegrowers exhausted after endless hours of spraying, often in vain, to control the dreaded trifecta of downy mildew, powdery mildew and botrytis bunch rot (botrytis). Mildew infection during flowering and fruit set damaged grape berries providing infection sites for the opportunistic ‘wound’ fungi that cause bunch rot. However, the interaction between the diseases was not always detrimental. There were reports that defoliation caused by downy mildew increased air circulation in the canopy which, in turn, reduced the severity of bunch rot. Nevertheless, the pressure on vineyard managers to act in controlling these diseases was relentless, even when certain actions, with hindsight, proved fruitless. Liz Riley, a viticulturist and consultant in the Hunter Valley, coined the term ‘koalas’ to denote grape bunches with large areas of ‘grey and fuzzy’ mould (Figure 1). The case for crop rejection can be all too clear when there are numerous ‘koalas’ and nearly every bunch is rotten to some degree.
History
Publication title
Making the Best Out of Difficult Vintages: Managing Sub-optimal Fruit in the WineryEditors
PR PetriePagination
11-19ISBN
0 9775256 9 4Department/School
Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture (TIA)Publisher
Australian Society of Viticulture and OenologyPlace of publication
Adelaide, South AustraliaEvent title
Australian Society of Viticulture and Oenology 2011Event Venue
Adelaide, South AustraliaDate of Event (Start Date)
2011-11-22Date of Event (End Date)
2011-11-22Rights statement
Copyright 2013 Australian Society of Viticulture and OenologyRepository Status
- Restricted