Grape growers as well as my visual observations confirm that some vine- yards are experiencing powdery mildew outbreaks. If your vineyard is experiencing a powdery mildew outbreak after the application of a DMI fungicide (Frac Code 3) then consider that the powdery mildew may have developed resistance. Powdery mildew resistance to DMI inhibitors was confirmed in Missouri in 2021. Some …

Virginia’s most infamous hitchhiker is on the move again: the spotted lanternfly. These insects colonize quickly, disrupt native ecosystems, and potentially cause problems to agriculture and forest health. The spotted lanternfly is also a significant threat to Virginia’s grape and wine industries. The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech and the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services are partnering to empower …

Of the three main genus of lactic acid bacteria found in wine, Pediococcus is one of the least well characterized. Despite it commonly being found in wines around the world, it is still difficult to answer the simple question ‘what impact will it have on my wine?’ Unlike say Brettanomyces, whose spoilage potential is well described, the spoilage risk that …

With the increase in sugars, veraison kicks off the period to start managing drosophilid flies (e.g. spotted wing drosophila (SWD)), which can considerably help suppress sour rot in your vulnerable grapes. The drosophilid flies are active nearly year round in these parts, but near veraison, as the brix levels in wine grapes reach approximately 15 degrees Brix, the grapes become attractive (and thus susceptible) to SWD. …

Spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) has been hitchhiking across much of the northeastern United States since its discovery in southeastern Pennsylvania in 2014. The pest can now be found in at least 13 states, including a small, localized population in Oakland County, the first known occurrence of live spotted lanternflies in Michigan. This infestation appears to have been caused by spotted …

As harvest approaches for Missouri grape growers, it’s important to remain vigilant to the end regarding disease management and poor weather conditions can have a significant impact on disease pressure and crop quality this time of the year.  In order for Downy mildew to infect grape tissue the tissue must be wet or have free-water available. In the absence of …

Some plant diseases are sporadic and only flare–up when environmental conditions or host plant health is in decline. In comparison, some diseases appear every growing season such as downy mildew or Phomopsis cane and leaf spot. The former are endophytes and can be either bacterial or fungal and live within plants for a portion of time without causing plant disease. …

Unlike many other insect pests that we readily see in the vineyard, the grape scale remains mainly hidden out of sight. The hidden nature of the pest can result in the populations building up over time, but even these population increases remain hidden. Sometimes your first clue that scale insects are becoming a problem is when you see vine decline. …