Grapevine downy mildew
May is the time when the first vine downy mildew infections usually occur, and this year has been quite rainy. But perhaps, “enough” is only an understatement since our headquarters is located in Sant’Agata Sul Santerno, in the province of Ravenna, right in the middle of Romagna. We lived through the flood, and we know how rainy this month of May has been. The heaviest rainfall in 10 years, according to official statistics.
These weather conditions favor the development of downy mildew infections, and in fact, the damage throughout Italy due to this disease this year can be truly alarming.
What is grapevine downy mildew
This is a disease much feared by grape growers and caused by the fungus Plasmopara viticola. It affects all parts of the plant gradually, and consistent attacks cause a reduction in photosynthetic activity and thus, a quantitative decline in the crop. In severe cases, they can even bring production to zero.
There are many ways to prevent and fight the disease, from chemicals to biological control, etc….
In a recent webinar devoted to this disease in which the following were present Giovanni Bigot, Agronomist and owner of Perleuve Ltd., e Gianfranco Romanazzi, professor of plant pathology at Marche Polytechnic University and president of the Italian Association for Plant Protection (AIPP) there was an illustration of the Currently most affected regions in Italy and experts gave some important suggestions to be able to fighting grapevine downy mildew of life.
Among these ways they pointed out two issues with which we, at Martignani, very much agree.
Proper dye coverage with the appropriate sprayer
Both Prof. Romanazzi and agronomist Bigot emphasized the importance of having the right sprayer to be able to fight the disease, that is, one that can provide adequate dye coverage. Especially in the upper part of the plant.
Martignani sprayers, thanks to electrostatic charge, are able to ensure uniform and homogeneous dye coverage in all parts of the plant. Since 1981 it has been like that for us, even with low volume. Several studies from Research Institutes and testimonials from clients around the world prove this.
The speed and timeliness of plant-protection treatments
In order to be able to combat grapevine downy mildew, it is very important to be quick with treatments. Because time plays against it.
From this point of view, experts agreed to say that “it is crucial to be able to do the treatments within 2 days after the rains (distribution and timeliness).” Then Bigot added that “not all sprayers are suitable because having to do all the rows takes longer, while others that work in alternate rows reduce the working time and are more effective in thisrespect.”
It is important to point out that the sprayer to be used should be chosen according to the characteristics of the soil, in primis the slope.
From this point of view, we can point out that, in plain, more and more “multirow” (multifile) sprayers are being used to increase timeliness, and Martignani, also in this, has been a pioneer with the First “multirow-plurifiling” ever introduced in viticulture With the Turbo 3 Mayor sprayer awarded at EIMA 1988 as Novità Tecnica and again in 2004 with the Quality Award at Fieragricola in Verona, over 35 years of experience !
On hillsides, however, “multirow” machines have some critical issues in our opinion due to instability and maneuvering times.
For example, our solutions to combat downy mildew on grapevines in hilly areas are the NewPort20 trailed sprayer. It works in alternate rows and provides the best maneuverability. In addition, many of our customers in the hills use Whirlwind M612 sprayers with only the lower outlets and have been operating in alternate rows for many, many years.
MARTIGNANI SPRAYERS against grapevine downy mildew
ARTICLES on GRAPEVINE DOWNY MILDEW
Do you need to protect your vineyard from downy mildew?
Contact us and we will find the ideal sprayer for your soil type