Grapevine trunk disease greatly affects grapevines in terms of yield and productivity. Researchers investigated the effect of using curettage and regrafting as alternative solutions for managing Esca in existing vineyards instead of replacing infected and symptomatic vines with new vines.
This research studied “chip bud” regrafting and curettage on three plots of Cabernet Sauvignon in France, planted with 15- to 20-year-old vines.
Curettage was implemented in the same plot over two years while re-grafting was carried out in two plots in one season on symptomatic vines. The direct and indirect mortality rate, percentage re-expression of Esca, and return to production were quantified three years after the implementation of the treatments in all three plots.
Since establishing newly planted young vines in existing vineyards can be challenging, these vine regeneration techniques seem to be an interesting alternative solution if they prove successful. This research has shown that even though vine regeneration techniques seem promising, they can be tough to implement, so the failure rate is high. When considering using one of these techniques, the percentage of infected vines in a vineyard and the value of the wines produced from the vineyard should be considered.
For more details about the research and the results, read the full article here: https://ives-technicalreviews.eu/article/view/7604
Image credit: Prof PG Goussard
