Page 37 - Grapevine May-June 2020

Around The Vineyard

Over the years, in spite of the practice of rotat- the only hope to keep vines from becoming re-in-
ing the different chemistries available for control, fected in the vineyard. Presently, genetic modified
the powdery mildew fungi have mutated due to technology is not widely accepted by the general
the selection pressure. Presently many resistant public but we need to work hard to educate con-
strains have evolved that are not affected by the sumers that this is a sustainable method for disease
different fungicides available, even when used in control.
increased doses. The presentation by Dr. Moyer
focused on work done by her group and others at It is my hope to see more of these “out of the
Cornell University on the application of UVc light in box” approaches on the control of grapevine dis-
the vineyard to control powdery mildew. A proto- eases and pests will be used in the near future.
type machine was fabricated that is able to cover
the canopy and emit UVc light capable of killing Judit Monis, Ph.D. provides specialized services
the fungus. It is known that the powdery mildew to help growers, vineyard managers, and nursery
pathogen is epiphytic and has adapted to resist day personnel avoid the propagation and transmission
light UV lights. However, it has not adapted to UVc of diseases caused by bacteria, fungi, and viruses
when applied at night. The UVc light is obtained in their vineyard blocks. Judit (based in California)
from germicidal lamps, the same ones that are used is fluent in Spanish and is available to consult in
to eliminate harmful human bacteria from tainted all wine grape growing regions of the world. Due
food or water. This technology is presently used to to the COVID19 pandemic, Judit is offering virtual
control powdery mildew in commercial strawberry vineyard visits. Contact juditmonis@yahoo.com for
fields in California and perhaps soon will be applied more information or to request a consulting session.
in the vineyard. The research continues and focus- To learn more about the vineyard health services
es on constructing the best equipment that is able offered, please visit juditmonis.com
to deliver the UV light in commercial vineyards.

Conclusions

The session presented alternative methods that
can be applied for the control of different diseases. STOP DISEASE
In a time, when insects and fungal pathogens are
becoming resistant to chemicals it is refreshing to
learn of alternative sustainable methods. These Before It Happens!
methods promise to have less impact on the envi-
ronment as they are developed to target the patho-
gen and do not affect beneficial organisms. Judit Monis, Ph.D.
Helping Growers, Vineyard Managers, and
I cannot emphasize the importance of planting Nurseries Avoid Spreading or Introducing
material that has been tested free of important
pathogens. However, once planted, vines are sus- Grapevine Diseases in Their Vineyard.
ceptible to become infected. As mentioned above, • Vineyard & Planting
for virus control, the most efficient practice is to Material Inspection
reduce the source of infection by eliminating dis-
eased vines. In my experience, it is difficult to con- • Nursery Block & Stock Evaluation
vince the grower to remove entire blocks. Sadly,
often times, they will agree to remove and replant • Disease Analysis & Identification
half of the block to avoid missing the production of
grapes. In all cases, this practice is risky as invari-
ably by the time the grower is ready to replace the For More Information Visit:
portion of infected vines, the new plantings have Judit Monis, Ph.D.
become infected.
www.juditmonis.com
With no sources of resistance to important viruses 831-346-7034
available, pathogen derived genetic resistance is

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