Symptoms and Signs
Phomopsis dieback, Botryosphaeria dieback, Esca, and Eutypa dieback make up a complex of ‘trunk diseases' caused by different wood-infecting fungi. Wedge-shaped wood cankers form in infected wood and are indistinguishable from those associated with Botryosphaeria dieback and Eutypa dieback. Dead spurs and dieback caused by Diaporthe ampelina are symptoms shared in common among multiple trunk diseases, which often occur in mixed infection within the vineyard and even within an individual vine.
Comments on the Disease
Symptoms first become apparent in vineyards 5 to 7 or more years old, but the infections actually occur in younger vines. Pycnidia, the overwintering structures that produce spores, are embedded in diseased woody parts of vines. During fall to spring rainfall, spores are released and wounds made by dormant pruning provide infection sites. After a pruning wound is infected, the pathogen establishes a permanent, localized wood infection, which cannot be eradicated by fungicide applications.
Management
See EUTYPA DIEBACK for management practices.
For more information on choosing a fungicide for grapes, refer to General Properties of Fungicides used in Grapes, Fungicide Efficacy—Conventional Products, Fungicide Efficacy—Biologicals and Natural Controls, and Treatment Timing for Key Diseases.