Grape-producing countries benefit tremendously from the major economic boost that grape and wine industries provide independent from their size. A clear example is British Columbia, where with just over 5,000 ha of cultivated grapevines (0.07% of the world total), the grape and wine industry contributes $2.2 billion dollars to Canada’s economy through sales, tourism, and job creation. Though grapes have been cultivated in BC since 1860, it was not until mid-1990s when the industry started booming. Currently, BC is home to 275 wineries producing internationally acclaimed award-winning wines thanks to its distinctive geology, topography and microclimates. However, with success also comes challenges. Grapevine hosts the largest number of pests and diseases than any other crop resulting in significant economic losses and increasing production costs. In addition, changes in climate patterns may favor in the short term the introduction and establishment of diseases not present to date in BC vineyards. The aim of this talk is to present ongoing research to better understand emerging diseases of grapevines under BC’s particular environmental conditions, and which other issues the BC industry could face in a changing climate. This research is the foundation for the development and implementation of effective management strategies.

1. Managing Emerging Diseases in
An Emerging Grape Growing Region
José Ramón Úrbez-Torres, Ph.D
Summerland Research and Development Centre
Summerland B.C.
BC Agricultural Climate Adaptation Research Network
December 2, 2019

2. Baco Noir
Vidal
Fosch
Riesling
Himrod
Okanagan
Riesling
Verdelet
Buffalo
Cascade
MuskatWatkins
Sherindan
De Chaunac
Moore Early
Diamond
Chelois
New Yort
Bath
Chancellor
Niagara
Concord
Campbell
Early
Worden
1988
1,500 hectares
Merlot
Pinot Noir
Cabernet Sauvignon
Syrah / ShirazCabernet
Franc
Rest Red V. vinifera
Red hybrids
Pinot GrisChardonnay
Gewürztraminer
White hybrids
Rest White
V. vinifera
Riesling
Sauvignon
Blanc
2018
4,200 hectares
• Significant change of the BC industry after 1989 (NAFTA)
- Federal pullout program: 1,200 ha of hybrids pulled-out
700 ha of Vitis vinifera planted
EMERGING GRAPE-GROWING REGION

3. EMERGING GRAPE-GROWING REGION

4. Bacteria
Bacterial blight
Crown gall
Pierce’s disease
Fungi
30 fungal diseases
> 120 fungal species
Viruses
> 70 viruses identified
Highest number of viruses ever
found in a single crop (J.P.P. 2014)
• Vitis vinifera hosts the most pathogens of any crop (Martelli 1997)
• 32 M pounds in products applied for just one disease in CA in 2011
(Sambucci et al. 2014)
BIG SUCCES BRINGS BIG CHALLENGES

5. Have occurred previously but affected only a small population in
isolated places
or
Have occurred throughout human history but have only recently
been recognized as a distinct disease due to different factors
US National Institutes of Health; Biological Sciences Curriculum Study. Bethesda (MD) 2007.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK20370/
• GRAPEVINE TRUNK DISEASES
EMERGING DISEASES

6. • Grapevine Trunk Diseases (GTD)
- Caused by fungi (Ascomycetes and Basidiomycetes)
- Infect grapevines primarily through wounds and openings
Pruning wounds
- Latent pathogens (?)
- Symptoms include
Slow, rapid or sudden vine decline
Eventual death of the plant

7. GTD are currently considered the main biotic factor limiting both
vineyard longevity and productivity worldwide

8. • Late 2000s BC starts experiencing yield and plant losses
- Historically attributed to abiotic factors (winter kill/damage)
- Also attributed to diseases favor by climatic conditions (Crown gall)
• BC Industry priority: To investigate other possible causes

9. • Research Approach to Find Solutions for GTD in BC
1) Determine the incidence/importance of GTD in BC
2) Identification/characterization of GTD fungi prevalent in BC
3) Determine the epidemiology of GTD fungi under BC conditions
4) Use above information to develop/implement control strategies

10. 1) Incidence/importance of GTD in BC
- Field surveys > 200 vineyards
> 500 samples
> 60.000 vines inspected
• GTD vines in 95% of vineyards
• Overall 10% GTD infected vines in BC
• Up to 38.2% incidence in a single
young vineyard (< 6 year-old)
• Up to 54.5% incidence in a single
mature vineyard (> 6 year-old)
• High young vine decline incidence

11. 2) Identification/characterization of GTD fungi in BC
- Morphological/Molecular studies (multi-locus phylogenies)
• Identified > 40 GTD fungi in BC
Botryosphaeria, Cadophora, Cytospora,
Diaporthe, Diatrype, Diatrypella, Diplodia,
Eutypa, Ilyonectria, Neofusicoccum,
Phaeoacremonium, Phaeomoniella,…
• Low incidence of foliar symptoms
• Pathogenicity/virulence determined
Neofusicoccum parvum (most virulent)
Diplodia seriata (most prevalent)
• Significant impact in nursery
planting material
Úrbez-Torres et al. 2014. Plant Disease 98:469-482
Úrbez-Torres et al. 2014. Plant Disease 98:456-468

12. Gramaje and Armengol 2011. Plant Disease 95:1040-1055
3) Epidemiology of grapevine trunk diseases
- Sources of inoculum (nursery planting material)

13. • Epidemiology of grapevine trunk diseases
- Health status of planting material coming to Canada
- Lack of domestic production of planting material
- Material imported from USA, France and Germany

14. • Fungal species associated with Grapevine Trunk Diseases
- 2000: 15 fungal spp. belonging to 10 genera
- 2018: 130 fungal spp. described belonging to 34 genera

15. • Development and implementation of diagnostic tools
- DNA-macroarray: Simultaneous detection of 61 fungal pathogens
- Young vine decline complex fungi
Úrbez-Torres et al. 2015. Phytopathology 105:1373-1388

16. * Detection based on PCR using primers BOT472R / BOT100F (Ridgway et al. 2011)
• Development and implementation of diagnostic tools
- Nursery material evaluation in Canada using the DNA-macroarray
Úrbez-Torres et al. 2017. Phytopathologia Mediterranea 56:528
150 plants evaluated (550 samples total)
Incidence(%)ofYVDfungi

17. Phaeomoniella chlamydospora
Dactylonectria macrodidyma
Neofusicoccum parvum
Phaeoacremonium minimum
Cadophora luteo-olivacea
Phaeomoniella chlamydospora
Dactylonectria macrodidyma
Neofusicoccum parvum
Dactylonectria pauciseptata
Cylindrocarpon obtusisporium
NA-A1-3B NA-O1-5B
• Development and implementation of diagnostic tools
- Young vine decline fungi in asymptomatic and symptomatic tissue
Úrbez-Torres et al. 2017. Phytopathologia Mediterranea 56:528

18. Phaeomoniella chlamydospora concentration varies significantly
primers PchQF/PchQR adapted from Pouzoulet et al. 2017
H2O
Basal end rootstock ready-to-plant nursery material
• Development and implementation of diagnostic tools
- Nursery material evaluation using ddPCR

19. • Management of GTD: from nursery to the vineyard
- Importance of effective diagnostic/detection tools
Improve health status of planting material
Determine infection thresholds detrimental for young plants
Can biotic/abiotic stress factors trigger disease development?
Enviromental factors in cool climate regions (winter/freezing injury)

20. • Epidemiology of grapevine trunk diseases

21. Esca Department of Plant Pathology, UC Davis
Perithecia and life cycle of Phaeoacremonium minimum
Courtesy Dr. A. Eskalen (UC Davis) and S. Rooney-Latham (CDFA)

22. 16.5 l/min
- Burkard volumetric spore traps deployed May 2014 – Sept. 2017
• Epidemiology of GTD under BC conditions

23. DNA extraction Droplet generation
multiplex PCR amplification
ddPCR analyses

24. Totalspores/weekAvg.T(°C)Precipitation(mm)
Sp-14 Su-14 F-14 W-14/15 Sp-15 Su-15 F-15 W-15/16 Sp-16 Su-16 F-16 W-16/17 Sp-17 Su-17
*
*
*
Úrbez-Torres et al. 2017. Phytopathologia Mediterranea 56:541-542
Botryosphaeriaceae spore trapping studies in British Columbia

25. - Industry interested in organic products
20% of the acreage farmed organic
Sustainable grape-growing production in BC
- Development of local biocontrol agents against GTD
Identification of 8 different species of Trichoderma and 2 species of Bacillus
MSc Student Jinxz Pollard
4) Development/Implementation of control strategies

26. 4) Development/Implementation of control strategies
- Development of local biocontrol agents against GTD
Identification of 8 different species of Trichoderma and 2 species of Bacillus
% Inhibition =
𝑅1
−𝑅2
𝑅1
x 100
R1 = Distance growth by the pathogen alone
R2 = Distance growth by the pathogen in presence of the
biological control (Trichoderma)

27. - Data generation for registration
- Field trials 2019-2023
- Evaluation of best performing chemical / biological products
4) Development/Implementation of control strategies

28. 4) Development/Implementation of control strategies
- Pruning wound protection
Vineyard pruned and treated on April 16, 2019
Neofusicoccum parvum (2,000 spores/wound)
24 hours 7 days 21 days 60 days

29. 4) Development/Implementation of control strategies
- Managing pruning to minimize infection by GTD

30. %pruningwoundinfection
40% less infection
Pruning date Pruning date
%pruningwoundinfection
80% less infection
BRITISH COLUMBIA
Chardonnay – Inoculated with Neofusicoccum parvum (105 spores/ml) on April 16, 2017 & 18
4) Development/Implementation of control strategies
- Managing pruning to minimize infection by GTD
Seasonal susceptibility of grapevine pruning wounds to Botryosphaeriaceae spp.
Early pruning can help to reduce infection by Botryosphaeriaceae spp. in BC
Similar results obtained in Catalonia region (NE of Spain). Elena and Luque2016. Plant Disease 100:1651-1659

31. • Management of GTD: from nursery to the vineyard
- Importance of understanding epidemiology at a regional level
Identifying inoculum availability in the field
Low/high periods of infection throughout the year
- Determine optimum treatment/pruning times
- Determine number of applications for best control
New promising chemistry
High control with biological products
High level of protection for up to 60 days
Understand how pruning time can reduce infection
(up to 80% in BC)
- Sanitation/Remedial surgery/control applied since year 1

32. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

33. THANK YOU!