Botrytis decision support: online tools for predicting seasonal risk of botrytis bunch rot

Developed from 2006 to 2009, the Trans-Tasman Botrytis Project – an initiative involving researchers from Plant & Food Research, in New Zealand, the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture, and the Victorian Department of Primary Industries – pinpointed the weather, vineyard and inoculum factors that cause botrytis outbreaks in Australia and New Zealand. The Botrytis Decision Support system was trialled during the project and has since been developed into an online botrytis management tool, which allows vineyard and winery managers to predict the risk of damage by botrytis at harvest.