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The Secret Enemy of Grapes and Blackberries: Do You Know What Anthracnose Is in Grapes?
With the expansion of grape planting areas, grape farmers are increasingly facing challenges from many plant diseases, one of which is grape anthracnose. This disease, caused by the plant pathogen Elsinoë ampelina, not only affects the quality and yield of grapes, but can also cause significant economic losses.
Anthracnose of grapes is known for its characteristic "bird's eye" lesions, which appear on the fruit and as sunken black or grey spots on the leaves and stems.
The disease particularly affects several varieties of Bramble and wine grapes, including blackberries, raspberries and several species of Vitis amurensis and Vitis vinifera. Unfortunately, anthracnose presents grape growers with challenges beyond just aesthetics. When the disease spreads to active parts of the plant, the entire plant may die, ruining future grape harvests.
Hosts and symptoms
Although E. ampelina can infect a variety of plants, its main host is grapes. Anthracnose of grapes manifests itself as lesions on stems, leaves and fruits. Young stems will first show small, circular red spots that will then enlarge and become gray, sunken lesions with dark reddish brown to purple-black edges. If not treated promptly, these lesions will expand further and eventually cause the death of the stem.
On leaves, these lesions may cause a reaction called "shot holes," where tiny holes form in the leaves.
On fruit, anthracnose appears as small, circular red spots that become more sunken and have narrow, dark borders over time. Once the disease spreads further into the juice, it will cause fruit cracking, paving the way for secondary infection.
Disease cycle
Towards the end of the growing season, the anthracnose fungus produces dormant bodies, primarily located around the edges of infected lesions. These dormant bodies overwinter in necrotic tissue, which makes disease control quite difficult. With the arrival of spring, under suitable moist conditions, the fungus releases large numbers of spores that infect young leaves and stems.
Many temperature and humidity factors affect the spread of the disease, so that the spread of the disease is accelerated when there is rainfall or irrigation. In particular, the combination of heavy rain and high temperatures will exacerbate the situation.
Environmental factorsAnthracnose of grapes occurs in almost all grape-growing regions, but is particularly prevalent under certain conditions, such as warm and humid conditions. Newly diseased tissue is most susceptible to infection, and excessive plant growth can affect drying rates, increasing the chances of infection.
Prevention and control management
To control anthracnose of grapes, the first thing to do is to do a good job of hygiene. This involves removing infected tissue during its winter dormancy phase and destroying the disease by burning or landfilling. In addition, planting disease-resistant varieties is also a way of effective management. Some American varieties such as Concord and Niagara are relatively disease resistant, while French varieties are relatively sensitive.
Proper pruning and training can effectively improve air circulation around the plant, thereby shortening the drying time of plant tissue.
For infections that have already occurred, fungicides need to be used to control them, especially during the dormant stage in the spring. These include lime sulfur solutions and a variety of other commercial products, which are important in controlling the spread of dormant organisms and new tissue.
ImportanceThe impact of grape anthracnose on the grape industry cannot be underestimated. As the disease continues to spread, if it is not controlled, it may cause damage to leaves, stems and fruits, and more importantly, affect the final wine quality and yield. Additionally, a reduction in plant life could result in a reduction in stored carbohydrates, ultimately leading to the death of the vine during the winter.
Faced with such a severe challenge, we should think: How can we more effectively combat this plant disease in modern agricultural practices to protect our crops and livelihoods?
