Good Fruit Grower

September 2014

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www.goodfruit.com GOOD FRUIT GROWER SEPTEMBER 2014 13 Dirty plant material blamed for vine decline in Canada and California. by Melissa Hansen G rapevine trunk diseases are a major threat to the economic viability of grapes worldwide. It's no coincidence trunk diseases are on the rise at the same time as grape acreage is expanding, says a Canadian plant pathologist. Trunk diseases have gained such importance glob- ally that an international scientific council now holds a workshop on trunk diseases every two years, said Dr. José Ramón Úrbez-Torres, federal scientist for Can- ada's Pacific Agri-Food Research Centre in Sum- merland, British Columbia. At the last conference held in Spain in 2012, scientists from more than 20 coun- tries participated, including Úrbez-Torres. Trunk diseases are costly to control and sig- nificantly shorten the lifes- pan of a vineyard. It's been estimated that California growers spend $260 million annually to control trunk diseases. More than 60 patho- gens are capable of causing grapevine trunk diseases, according to Úrbez-Torres, who received his doctorate in plant pathology at the University of California, Davis. Trunk diseases infect a wide range of crops, including apples, cherries, nuts, blueberries, apricots, olives, and more. But for North American grape growers, five wood can- ker diseases cause the most problems: Eutypa dieback, Phomopsis dieback, Botryosphaeria dieback, Esca, and young vine decline complex. In Washington State, Eutypa was a problem in Con- cord vineyards in the 1970s, but once large pruning cuts (made on wood 1.5 to 2 inches diameter) were avoided, disease problems lessened. In recent years, young vine decline and Eutypa have shown up only periodically in Washington vineyards. Fungal pathogens infect vines through wounds and can cause wood canker symptoms years later. During rain or sprinkler irrigation, fungal spores are released from fruiting bodies (pycnidia and/or perithecia) found in areas of cankered wood embedded in the bark and enter wounds caused by pruning other injuries. Depending on Grapes 1801 Presson Place Yakima, WA 98903 855-855-0318 509-248-0318 FAX 509-248-0914 hfhauff@gmail.com • www.hfhauff.com Engineered for performance, durability, reliability, and longevity! Discover the Chinook fan blade advantage. Engineered for performance, durability, reliability, and longevity! Discover the Chinook fan blade advantage. FORD TRITON V-10 or IVECO NEF 6.7 DIESEL ★ Increased Radius Coverage by 80-150 Feet with Same HP Draw ★ Air Flow Starts 14'' from Hub ★ Donier Swept Tip —Reduces Tip Drag ★ The Only Fan Blade with the "Trailing Edge Wedge" (widens sector angle and increases air velocity) ★ Advanced Air Foil Design ★ Increased Air Horsepower ★ Quality Built, Affordable, Fast Payback Returns Not all fan blades are created equal! Judge for yourself! Satisfaction Guaranteed! ★ LESS FUEL CONSUMPTION H.F. HAUFF COMPANY INC. TOLL FREE A wedge-shaped canker in this grapevine trunk is characteristic of both Botryosphaeria and Eutypa cankers, making diagnosis difficult without laboratory analysis. Trunk diseases are a growing problem UC DAVIS

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