Vineyards Require an Army of Protection from Disease, Fungi and Insect Pests
By: Cheryl Gray
Making wine is a science like no other, a science that comes with the ominous responsibility to guard winery crops against disease and fungi. Left unchecked, these vineyard enemies can wreak havoc from grape to root.
Companies that know the science behind how disease and fungi infiltrate vineyards strive to offer the latest defenses that are both effective and environmentally friendly.
Among the industry leaders is BioSafe Systems, a family-owned company headquartered in Connecticut that has been in business for 25 years. BioSafe specializes in providing advanced scientific solutions that offer products that focus on everything from vineyard crop protection to winery sanitation. As the company’s name implies, BioSafe offers products built upon sustainable chemistries for the agriculture industry and considers itself a branded leader in research, manufacturing and applications for this market. The aim is to stay ahead of diseases and fungi that endanger grape crops by constantly developing innovative formulas that offer sustainable ways to protect a winery’s investment.
Dr. Jodi Creasap Gee is a field research and development project manager for BioSafe Systems and has an extensive background in the science of how to protect vineyards from the destruction caused by disease and fungi. Dr. Creasap Gee also serves as a technical sales representative for the company’s northeastern division and assists growers in recognizing what they are battling and how best to do it using BioSafe Systems products.
“Pathogens consistently challenge vineyard managers across the United States, making quality fruit production a daunting task. Powdery mildew, downy mildew, Botrytis, black rot and Phomopsis are well-known troublemakers. Extra rain, sour rot and spotted wing drosophila (SWD) infestations are an unfortunate, yet not unrealistic, combination that can really burden your crop. Luckily, BioSafe Systems has several products that can be included in your regular spray program to keep clusters clean for harvest.
First and foremost, OxiDate® 5.0, our peroxyacetic acid product, packs the biggest punch with broad-spectrum activity on fungi and bacteria by destroying their cell walls. Disinfesting the surfaces of leaves and clusters with OxiDate 5.0, combined with a product with residual activity, can keep clusters clean and protected throughout the season.”
Dr. Creasap Gee points out how products from BioSafe Systems readily tackle diseases such as powdery mildew, downy mildew, sour rot and black rot. She adds that they can also accommodate a number of grape varieties.
“I’d like to note that OxiDate 5.0 can be used on concords and hybrid varieties with concord parentage that are sensitive to sulfur. Finally, OxiDate 5.0 leaves no residue on the leaves or clusters, so vines and clusters can be sprayed in the morning on the day of harvest without any residue concerns for processing.
Another material that controls powdery and downy mildews in vineyards is PerCarb®, sodium carbonate peroxyhydrate, which does have some residual activity. First, the hydrogen peroxide component damages pathogens’ cells on contact, leading to immediate cell death. The residual sodium carbonate prevents the development of fungal mycelium and spores for up to seven days post-application. Apply PerCarb early in the season to reduce fungal inoculum levels, then follow up with your regular fungicide program consistently. Rotating OxiDate 5.0 and PerCarb can keep vines and clusters clean throughout the season, especially during the immediate post-bloom timeframe.”
Biosafe Systems products also effectively ward off certain insects that can adversely affect vineyard health. Independent research, Dr. Creasap Gee says, shows that PAA products, such as Biosafe Systems’ Oxidate 5.0, can reduce populations of spotted wing drosophila by burning their eggs’ breathing tubes.
“Reducing desirable yeasts on the surface of the berries will deprive the spotted wing drosophila of their food source and prohibits the yeasts from breaking down the insecticide, increasing insecticide longevity.
For grape berry moth control, two of our materials have shown promising results: AzaGuard® and BT NOW®. AzaGuard, BioSafe’s azadirachtin product, is an insect growth inhibitor, meaning it prevents the larva from transitioning into the next stage, thus stopping the pest in its tracks. BT NOW disrupts caterpillar digestion when lepidoptera pests consume the Bacillus thuringiensis ssp. kurstaki (Btk) bacteria in this product. This strain of bacteria contains ‘cry toxins’ that bind to specific receptors in the insect’s gut, paralyzing certain digestive functions, leading to insect death.”
The ravaging effects of insects on vineyards are the focus of Pacific Biocontrol Corporation. Based in Vancouver, Washington, the company has been in business for nearly 40 years. It touts itself as among the first in its industry to champion the science of manipulating naturally occurring chemicals known as pheromones. Pheromones are what insects use to mate.
The science behind the products of Pacific Biocontrol Corporation zeroes in on disrupting the mating process. As a result, the products prevent targeted insects from multiplying and taking over a vineyard. By increasing the use of its scientific formulas throughout the viticulture industry, PBC is working toward an end result to boost efficacy while at the same time decreasing costs to grape growers.
One of the experts at Pacific Biocontrol Corporation is Jeannine Lowrimore, a technical sales representative who has been with the company since 2014. Lowrimore has more than two decades of pheromone experience and a Bachelor of Science degree in entomology from UC Davis. Addressing customer needs, Lowrimore says, is a priority.
“Providing excellent customer service while connecting with my customers is a favorite part of my business.”
Pacific Biocontrol Corporation has a wide-ranging pheromone product portfolio designed to protect vineyards, fruit and nut orchards from pests. One of its products is ISOMATE® VMB, which Lowrimore says disrupts insect mating by saturating the field with a synthetic pheromone formulation. The treatment, she says, keeps males from finding females, which means less mating and fewer insect eggs. Repeating the process through a well-managed mating disruption program can result in a long-term population decline of that pest, a cost-savings to vineyards.
ISOMATE® VMB is OMRI (Organic Materials Review Institute) listed and CCOF (California Certified Organic Farmers) approved. Lowrimore adds that products manufactured by Pacific Biocontrol Corporation are non-toxic and environmentally safe. When used as part of an integrated pest management program, ISOMATE® can control pest populations while conserving beneficial species.
Moving on, there is the family-owned Inland Desert Nursery in Washington for vineyards looking to plant new vines. The nursery business is here to supply clean, healthy grapevines to vineyards across North America. The company touts an impressive 150-plus acres of newly planted and well-maintained WSDA Registered (Washington State Department of Agriculture) rootstock and scion mother blocks. Ryan Wells is sales director for the Inland Desert Nursery. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in horticulture from Washington State University and has some 25 years in the viticulture industry.
“Inland Desert Nursery is a certified grapevine nursery so our main crop is actually the cutting material during the dormant season. The cuttings are of higher quality and propagate much better when our grapevine canopy is managed during the growing season in a way that a typical grower would farm their vineyard to obtain the highest quality fruit possible.”
It is not only what Inland Desert Nursery provides but also how it protects its newly-planted cuttings from disease and fungi. Wells details what the company describes as an aggressive process.
“We use a preventative spray program in our vineyards that consists of sulfur and fungicides. Powdery mildew is really the only disease pressure we have in Washington state. Botrytis and sour rot can sometimes be problems in certain years if we have significant rainfall after the onset of verasion. Our spray program is mainly for powdery mildew prevention and starts when shoot growth is around four to six inches in growth.
We pay close attention to the fungicide mode of action and rotate fungicides through the season to avoid disease resistance. Sulfur is added to our tank mixtures for every spray because sulfur is a very good mildew eradicant. The only time we do not include sulfur is if the weather is too hot (90+ Fahrenheit). Eastern Washington is a very dry, desert-like climate, and overall mildew pressure is usually much lower than in other growing regions.
In addition to our mildew preventative spray program, we also make sure the canopy is not too congested by doing shoot thinning in the early spring, ideally when shoot growth is between 10 to 12 inches long. Later in the season, we will also do some leaf removal if necessary to ‘open up’ the canopy. This allows for dappled sunlight on the fruit which increases overall fruit quality and further helps to prevent powdery mildew on the fruit clusters. We do leaf removal and stripping either by hand labor or with a machine. Growers in Washington typically only do leaf removal on the east side of vines, for rows running north and south, because there is too much risk of sunburn to the clusters if leaves are removed on the west side of canopy from the intense afternoon sun.”
Whether working with new or established vineyard plants, methods to protect against disease, fungi and insect pests are based on science. Experts in the industry can help growers know what works best for their plants and grapes.
