Mid-season grape diease management reminders
Most of us are about to finish the critical time when clusters are susceptible to infection by downy mildew, powdery mildew, and black rot. This critical time varies by varieties, but in general, 4 to 6 weeks and 3-4 weeks from bloom for V. vinifera and V. labrusca species, respectively. After this critical period, you should be able to relax a bit because these pathogens no longer able to cause disease on berries. So, what’s next? As usual, disease dynamics really depends on environmental conditions, cultivars grown, and cultural practice, but in general, this is the moment when you will be thinking about late-season diseases such as Botrytis, ripe rot, bitter rot, and sour rot. The spray timings for Botrytis is at bloom, bunch closure, and veraison. The pathogen seems to be active throughout the season. The main reason we recommend the application of a Botrytis specific material at bunch closure is that this most likely to be the last opportunity f...