Vineyard Observations

 Hello Dear Growers!

We've had a decent amount of rain recently, including over the past weekend, but the weather this week looks favorable.

The vines are actively bleeding and beginning to go through bud burst. As the season progresses, you'll start to notice familiar signs in the vineyard—but you may also come across things that seem unusual or concerning. One of our growers shared this photo last week, and I thought it would be helpful to post it here in case you're seeing something similar and are unsure about what it means:

What you're seeing is an exudation from the vine. So, what's in that exudate? According to Dr. Urbez-Torres, it primarily contains salts and carbohydrates, and the orange coloration may indicate a high concentration of bacteria. Some vines exhibit this kind of reaction as they break dormancy, but it is not caused by a pathogen.

Dr. Urbez-Torres observed that the vines showing this symptom recovered well, with no negative impact on plant health during the season or in subsequent years. In fact, the exudation did not reappear in the following seasons.

That said, it’s still important to remain vigilant—keep an eye out for any signs of disease or pest activity from previous years.

Protective Sprays:

If a dormant spray is part of your pest management plan, it should have been completed already as we are very close or past bud-burst at this point.

A dormant spray early in the season should be considered if:

a)  You’re dealing with a significant anthracnose issue, or 

b) if you're following an organic or biointensive production approach. 

Remember, dormant sprays are not a substitute for in-season treatments. 

Dormant applications are most effective against anthracnose but can also provide some suppression of Phomopsis, powdery mildew, and black rot. They have no effect on downy mildew.

Applying lime sulfur after budbreak and when new growth is present can cause damage to the delicate new leaves and stems, reducing its effectiveness and potentially harming the plant. 

My scouting yesterday did produce a few pictures: 

 
 
     Latent Phomopsis. 

 I hope you enjoyed the Early Season Nutrition Webinar. If you have any questions do forward them to me and I will get back to you with the answers.

Do remember, the power point presentation and the webinar recording itself will be available shortly on the "Grapes" section of the Perennia website. As soon as the links are available, I will post them in the upcoming blog post.

News for the upcoming season:

I am planning for several in-person events this year including technology and equipment demonstrations that you will want to attend. Details will be released soon.

Thank you all for your time this week, and I look forward to seeing you in the field.

Cheers!

Katarina 

Katarina Vucic P.Ag; MSc; DipWSET

Viticulture Specialist
Perennia Food and Agriculture
Email kvucic@perennia.ca
Office 902-678-7722

Cell 902-599-1390

 

www.perennia.ca