Grapevine grafting is an essential part of winemaking. We need the scion varieties to produce high-quality wines, but we also require the rootstocks to provide the necessary resistance against phylloxera and other pathogens or environmental factors.
Grapevine trunk diseases (GTD) can lead to substantial economic losses at the farm and/or winery scale.
Petri disease is a grapevine trunk disease responsible for the decline and dying of young vines a few years after planting. Phaeomoniella chlamydospora (Pch) is one of the main Petri…
Stellenbosch University researchers are harnessing artificial intelligence to streamline the identification of grapevine leafroll disease, a significant threat to South Africa's wine industry. A groundbreaking research project led by Prof…
RNA interference (RNAi) is a natural process that helps plants and other organisms defend against viruses. It is activated when the plant detects double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) from the virus. Scientists…
It is known that grapevine trunk diseases infect vines via pruning wounds. They colonise and spread throughout the vascular tissue affecting sap flow and subsequent vine performance. Researchers in Cognac…
Grapevine trunk disease fungi infect vines through openings, primarily pruning wounds. The main objective of this study was to understand the role of sucker wounds and wounds made by the…
Researcher: Prof Lizel Mostert, Department of Plant Pathology, Stellenbosch University Aim and industry relevance: This study would aim to develop a system whereby photos taken with a smartphone could be…