Preliminary Trials on Treatment of Esca-Infected Grapevines with Trunk Injection of Fungicides

Abstract

An increase in trunk diseases (due to esca, Agrobacterium, rugose wood virus, leaf roll viruses, phytoplasma etc.) leading to young vines death is a very serious worry in vineyards in Hungary, as it is in other countries. In response to a demand expressed by grapevine growers, a method was tested for the direct treatment of pathogens in wood tissue. An experiment based on trunk injection was carried out in an esca infected vineyard. The various fungicides (propiconazole, difenoconazole, thiabendazole; propiconazole+ thiabendazole) were injected into the trunk before the beginning of the xylem sap flow at high pressure. As a result the number of symptomatic plants was decreased, and the vigour of the plants was not impaired by the fungicide ingredients. The combination difenoconazole+ thiabendazole showed the best result.