• Embed Doc
  • Copy Link
  • Readcast
  • Collections
  • CommentGo Back
Download
 
w
rd
c
c
c
GRAPE AND WINE RESEARCH ANDDEVELOPMENT CORPORATION
FACT SHEET JANUARY 2010
Botrytis Management
Author: Katherine J. EvansTasmanian Institute o Agricultural ScienceUniversity o Tasmania
 
Botrytis bunch rot, or ‘botrytis’, is a weather-driven diseasethat can cause signicant loss o grape yield and quality,even ater application o a ull program o ungicides. Thisactsheet describes how botrytis develops, critical controlpoints and integrated measures needed or highrisk situations.
Sources o inection
Botrytis is caused by the common environmental ungus,
Botrytis cinerea
. Botrytis spores are almost always present invineyards. Important sources o spores that initiate inections ingrapevines are described below.
Clusters o colourless or greyspores (conidia) are borne onbranched dark stalksSpores (conidia) are dispersedto grape tissue by air currents,rain splash or insects such aslight brown apple moth (LBAM)Wounded berries provide aneasy entry point or botrytisSpores constitute the greymould seen on rotting berries
Important sources o sporesPrevious season
inected cane debris, bunchremnants, tendrils, lea petioles & blades
Current season
inected, damaged leavesdecaying foral parts: caps,aborted berries, rotting berries
How does botrytis invadegrape tissue?
Botrytis inects grapevine tissue via wounds and naturalopenings, including microssures in the berry skin and woundsmade by insects, powdery mildew, berry splitting, loose pedicelsor other physical damage. Spore germination is stimulatedby sugars and amino acids exuded rom ripening berries. Theungus secretes enzymes to kill plant tissue in advance o itscolonisation and then absorbs nutrients rom dead tissue. Anydecaying grape tissue, especially damaged leaves, dead foralparts and ripe berries, is a prime target or botrytis colonisationand subsequent spore production. How then, can the rstinections o ruit occur in green fowers and green, hard berries?
Latent inection in fowers andimmature berries
When the cap lits o a fower, there is a natural spore trap in thegap between the ovary and the torus (Figure 1). A band o necrotic(brown) tissue at the tip o the torus is exposed, providing anentry point or botrytis. Ater entry, ungal growth is stopped bya high concentration o antiungal compounds. The ungus thenrests is a quiet state (latent) and then resumes growth when thedeveloping berry begins to soten. At this time, the concentrationo antiungal compounds begins to decline, allowing botrytis tocolonise the berry and cause symptoms o rot.Capall is the rst opportunity or latent inections to becomeestablished, although latent inections may occur at anystage during berry development. It is not known what makesthe ungus re-grow in the grape berry ater latency and not alllatent inections lead to a rotten berry. The proportion o latentinections resulting in botrytis symptoms is correlated to theduration o high relative humidity.
Figure 1. As the cap lits o the fower, a ring o brown tissueprovides an entry point or botrytis. (Photo: M. Longbottom,University o Adelaide)
INTEGRATED MANAGEMENT OF BOTRYTIS BUNCH ROT FACT SHEET JANUARY 2010WWW.GWRDC.COM.AU
 
Symptom development andtypes o epidemic
Ater ‘latent’ botrytis resumes its invasion o a grape berry, itcan then spread rom berry to berry, oten rapidly in compactbunches o thin-skinned varieties. Botrytis also spreads rapidlyrom bunch to bunch in crowded ruit zones.Figure 2 summarises botrytis development, noting that thetime at which symptoms appear varies and can occur weeks ormonths ater establishment o latent inections. Even thoughseverity at harvest various enormously among seasonsand regions, the increase in disease severity ater symptomappearance shows distinct patterns that allow prediction o the uture course o the epidemic. Prediction models, underdevelopment, can aid decisions about in-season managementand harvest date.
Figure 2. Illustration o the change in botrytis severity betweenveraison and harvest when weather avours the disease. Diseaseseverity can increase by 1-2% per day near harvest, highlightingthe importance o harvest date as a management tool.
Factors that promote botrytisdevelopment
Table 1 summarises the main pathogen, vine and environmentalactors that are correlated to botrytis severity at harvest. Thekey weather variables are temperature and the duration o surace wetness, provided by rain, og, dew or mist. Free wateris needed or the spore to germinate and high relative humiditymay be sucient to cause condensation o water inside tissuessuch as fowers. Temperature determines how ast inectionoccurs, with the optimum temperature in the range 18-21
o
C.Longer wetness periods are needed to achieve the same levelo inection at sub-optimum temperatures. The interactionbetween the temperature and duration o surace wetness onbotrytis inection is described by the Broome or Bacchus models(Broome et al. 1995; Kim
et al.
2007).
Table 1. Main actors correlated to botrytis severity at harvest.Unless indicated, increasing levels o a actor promotemore botrytis.
Pathogen actors
Botrytis severity in the previous season and the amount o botrytis carried over to the next season(eg. on bunch remnants)Amount o spores in the vicinity o susceptible grapevine tissue(eg. inected trash caught in grape bunch)
Vine actors
Highly susceptible varieties with thin skinsVariety susceptibility to berry splitting & loose pedicelsBerry sugar contentBunch compactnessBunch crowdingGrape yield per vineExcessive vigourLea layer number in ruiting zone
Environmental actors
Temperature, relative humidity and wind speed in the ruitingzone that determine the duration o surace moistureThe interval (days) between veraison & harvestAgents (eg. LBAM or powdery mildew) or conditions that inducewounds in berriesWinter pruning & trellis system that infuence shoot vigour andcanopy densityIrrigation, shelter belts or large bodies o water that infuenceruit zone microclimateIrrigation that infuences shoot vigour or berry size(bunch compactness)Nutrition that infuences shoot vigour or berry skin integrity
of 00

Leave a Comment

You must be to leave a comment.
Submit
Characters: ...
You must be to leave a comment.
Submit
Characters: ...