Best practice in tackling grapevine trunk disease

With spring well and truly underway, growers and vineyard managers may have started to notice stunted shoots in their vineyards. This can be a symptom of Eutypa Dieback (ED).

Foliar symptoms of ED are most visible in spring when shoots are 30-70 cm long. At this stage, healthy shoots outgrow symptomatic ones without obscuring them, creating a strong contrast in foliage. As the season progresses and healthy shoots continue to grow, symptomatic shoots can be masked and harder to identify.

This is a timely reminder of Wine Australia's Best Practice Management Guide (BPMG) on Grapevine Trunk Disease, which is a great resource to guide both new and experienced vineyard managers.

Supported by extensive research and packed full of comprehensive GTD disease monitoring, diagnosis, and management advice and information, the BPMG was written by the South Australian Research & Development Institute’s Dr Mark Sosnowski. It was developed with both long-term strategies and daily practicalities in mind, including step-by-step decision-making support.

Whilst Wine Australia is planning minor updates in 2025, the current version remains highly relevant.

If growers notice stunted shoot growth during the season, they should tag the affected vines. The guide provides a helpful decision tree to assist growers in determining the appropriate course of action.

The Grape Assess smartphone app is a convenient tool that simplifies the monitoring of grapevine trunk disease in vineyards. Growers can easily enter vine assessments into the app, which automatically calculates incidence and severity.

The data can be emailed as a spreadsheet, including GPS coordinates, for further analysis, allowing targeted disease management.

A copy of the BMPG can be downloaded at: www.wineaustralia.com/growing-making/pest-and-disease-management/eutypa-dieback.

Grape Assess is available for free from the Apple app store.