Ohio Grape-Wine Electronic Newsletter Editor: David Scurlock, Viticulture Outreach Specialist Department of Horticulture and Crop Science Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center 1680 Madison Avenue Wooster, OH 44691-4096 www.oardc.ohioHU -state.edu/grapeweb/ UH 31 August 2016 (19) Content: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Disease Crown Gall Disease Study Viticulture OARDC Vineyard Update Vine & Wine News Weather Comparisons 1988, 1991, 2010 and 2016 OGEN Editor Note: Impact of Shading on Frontenac and Marquette-Northern Grapes Project 2016 August Pest & Disease of the Month Insects They May be Buzzing in Your Vineyard Neonicotinoids and Toxicity to Bees WEEDS Fall Weed Control Wine UC Davis Professor of Enology, Emeritus Vernon Singleton Dies Indy Wine Competition Special Congratulations to Ohio Vintners Best Wine Country Hotel-Gervasi Ohio Wineries Top 250 OGEN Editor Note: Scientists Get Closer to Harness Benefits of Red Wine Interesting Items Save the Date-2017 OGWC Know Your OSU Grape and Wine Experts ______________________________________________________________________________ SOURCE: MORNING AG CLIPS GRAPE RESEARCH ... Crown gall disease in grapes Current methods are incapable of diagnosing crown gall disease reliably PUBLISHED ON AUGUST 11TH, 2016 Visible to the untrained eye upon closer inspection only: a crown gall tumor is on a vine. (Hanna Faist) BAVARIA, Germany — Wine growers and nurseries would benefit from detecting the dangerous crown gall disease in their vines before it breaks out. Such an early diagnosis is not available at present and cannot be expected soon. This conclusion is drawn by Dr. Rosalia Deeken from the Biocenter of the Julius- Maximilians-Universität Würzburg (JMU) in Bavaria, Germany, and Professor Ute Hentschel-Humeida who worked here before relocating to Kiel. The scientists are convinced that the currently available methods are incapable of diagnosing crown gall disease reliably at an early stage. Obstacles to a reliable early diagnosis One reason: Infected by a handful of pathogens, the plant sap distributes the bacteria throughout the plant. So where to take a sample to assure an early diagnosis with a 100% reliable result? “In principle, one would have to sacrifice the whole plant for this purpose,” says Deeken. Another reason: Different variations of the highly sensitive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) that would theoretically be suitable to identify the bacteria are inappropriate because the pathogens are much too different genetically. The researchers made this discovery together with Dr. Alexander Keller of the JMU’s Biocenter, a bacteria specialist and expert in computation biology, using samples from five different sites in Lower Franconia, a region in the north of Bavaria. Disease reduces yield Crown gall disease is triggered by the bacterium Agrobacterium vitis which causes tumour-like growths or galls at the vines. The yield decreases as a result and the vines die in the worst case. So far, no treatment for crown gall disease has been known. “Therefore, nurseries and wine growers are extremely careful to produce and use only vines that are free from agrobacteria,” Deeken further. This goal, however, is difficult to reach as the agrobacteria are capable of living hidden in the plant for several years before the disease breaks out. And without a method of early diagnosis, infected plants cannot be singled out in time. Microbial community in tumour studied The JMU biologists and doctoral student Hanna Faist also looked into the fundamentals of the vine disease. “We know from experience with humans that certain bacteria are capable of promoting the genesis and destruction of tumours,” Deeken explains. The team therefore focused on the microbial community living in the grown gall tumours. The doctoral student analysed the bacterial colonization of diseased and healthy vines during one growth period and compared the results. Keller’s established method of high-throughput amplicon sequencing was employed for this purpose; the vines under examination were provided by the Bavarian State Institute for Viticulture and Horticulture in Veitshöchheim nearby Würzburg. The results have been published in the journal of the American Society for Microbiology (Applied and Environmental Microbiology). They demonstrate that the microbial composition especially in the tumour tissue remains relatively stable throughout the seasons. However, the variety of bacteria in crown gall tumours is greater than in healthy vines. Some bacteria inhibit tumour growth In addition to the bacteria found in the healthy tissue, there are others that are exclusively detected in the gall tissue. These include types that migrate into the tumour as “opportunists”, because it provides protection and nutrients. Others in contrast inhibit tumour growth. The pathogen itself, however, does not need either the one or the other bacteria to generate the tumour. The scientists proved this on vines that had been cultivated sterilely on agar growth media provided by the nursery Rebschule Steinmann from Sommerhausen. An infection of the sterile vines with only Agrobacterium vitis was sufficient to trigger gall growth. Deeken’s conclusion: “Our study backs the assumption that crown gall tumours accommodate a very special bacterial community. On the one hand, the bacteria benefit from the tumour environment, and on the other hand, they keep the disease in check to a certain degree: “The tumour does not grow so large that most infected vines would die.” Further investigations are aimed at studying the interactions between the different bacteria in the tumour. –University of Würzburg via EurekAlert! OARDC August 2016 Vineyard Update by David Scurlock, Viticulture Outreach Specialist OSU/OARDC Photos by Dave Scurlock Grape Phenology: along with apples and hops Cab franc stage1-3 April 25 2016 Cab franc May 25 2016 Cab franc June 27 2016 Cab franc July 28 2016 (no verasion showing) Cab franc August 29 2016 Chardonnay Stage 1-2 April 29 2015 Chardonnay Stage 4 May 25 2016 Chardonnay June 27 2016 Chardonnay July 28 2016 Crop adjusted Chardonnay July 28 (R) Sunburning on exposed berries Chardonnay August 29 2016 Riesling Stage 4 April 29 2015 Riesling May 25 2016 Riesling June 27 2016 Riesling July28 2016(no veraison showing) Arrows indicate sun burn damage Riesling August 29 2016 Chambourcin stage 2-3, April 25 2016 bud swell Chambourcin May 25 2016 Chambourcin June 27 2016 Chambourcin July 28 2016(no veraison showing) Chambourcin August 29 2016 Marquette July 28 2016 at 90% veraison Marquette August 29 2016 Frontenac July 28 2016 at 5% veraison Frontenac August 29 2016 Frontenac gris August 29 2016 Apples in loose open cluster stage April 29 2015 Apples in Bloom stage May 25 2016 Apples June 27 2016 Fugi Apples July 27 2016 changing color Fugi Apples August 29 2016 Golden Delicious August 29 2016 Hop development April 29 2015 Hop development May 25 2016 Hop development June 27 2016 Hops (L) July 28 2016 Hop cones close up (R), you can also see the Jap. Beetle damage on the leaves primarily. The JB traps in the foreground were set up after the damage began. Hop Harvest almost completed August 29 2016 Weather Conditions: 2016 weather statistics are ahead of the 11 year averages in every category. I am surprised that we are ahead of the 11 year average in precipitation because it seems as though every chance of rain either dissipates upon arrival or divides and goes north or south. Perfect grape maturation depends on warm days and cool nights for the best ripening conditions in accumulating sugars and decreasing acidities. In comparison to the 11 year average we have both warm days and nights. Warm nights may have the effect of depleting some of the sugars we gained during the daylight hours. Weather has cooperated this year and we are blessed to have a good crop. Table 1 June 11 YEAR AVERAGE VS. *2016 June DATA Ave. Precip. Ave. Min Cumulative Year Max GDD Temp In. Temp GDD 2015 3.3 817 59.9 636 1733 2014 2.8 79.2 59.1 598 1658 2013 6.6 81.5 63.1 674 1754 2012 2.3 88.2 64.8 815 1954 2011 2.9 64.9 64.9 332 1858 2010 4.9 84.9 62.9 745 1953 2009 2.9 78.1 56.5 543 1514 2008 4.5 82.9 60.4 678 1610 2007 5.8 81.6 56.9 604 1672 2006 6.5 84.5 63.2 721 1619 2005 4 86.1 63.2 765 1712 11 year 2366 August aver. 3.0 82.0 59.8 637 2005-2015 April-August *April 30 92 2.7 59.4 35 92 2016 April *May 31 384 2.5 70.1 47.9 292 2016 April -May *June 30 990 1.3 81.5 58.3 606 2016 April-June *July 31 1734 1.9 85.2 63.1 744 2016 April-July **August 29 2452 2016 3.4 86.4 64.9 718 April-August *2016 Data for April, May, June and July were updated **2016 Data is inclusive to August 29 2016 (it will be updated next month) Pest & Disease Situation Japanese beetles seem to be hanging on in certain areas around the state. We are right at the time that SWD traps should be in the field and checked at least once a week. The ideal time to put the SWD traps in the vineyard is around 15 brix. For varieties that are harvested with lower brix, such as Concord and Niagara, it would be good to have the traps in the vineyard around 10 brix. Remember the threshold to apply a spray is one SWD. Please refer to Dr. Celeste Welty’s website to get more information on SWD at http://entomology.osu.edu/welty/fruit_info1/Fruit_info.html Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs are out and about the vineyard now. For more information on identifying and trapping these invasive bugs please see Dr.