Ohio Grape Electronic Newsletter

 
20 May 2005
 
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Content:
 
2005 Ohio Wine Competition
Disease Management

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2005 Ohio Wine Competition...Record Medals Awarded
By Dr. Imed Dami, OARDC

The 2005 Ohio Wine Competition was successfully held on May 9-11, 2005 at OARDC in Wooster. Todd Steiner, the competition coordinator, reported 249 wines entered in the competition of which 17 received gold, 75 silver and 72 bronze. The number of total and silver medals awarded is the highest in the past 3 years, another indication of the constant quality improvement of Ohio wines. We thank all participating wineries and we congratulate the winners. We are also grateful for the continuous financial support of OGIC to this annual event. More information on the wine competition and medal distribution is posted on our website:  http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/grapeweb/ (then click wine competition results.)  For more information or questions, please call Todd Steiner at 330-263-3881 or e-mail: steiner.4@osu.edu.


Disease Management: Phomopsis
By Dr. Joe Fiola, Specialist in Viticulture and Small Fruit, University of Maryland

• Phomopsis is the first disease on a grower's radar screen.
• Early control is the most important for controlling rachis infections, which is the most important source of economic injury.  Rachis infections make clusters brittle and cause shelling of berries by harvest.
• Dead wood produces many more viable spores (perhaps 1000s as many) than lesions on live wood.  Cutting out dead wood can therefore have a major impact on new infections.  This is sometimes complicated as typically the most severely damaged wood is the bottom of last years shoot, which is the section you want to keep as the new spur.
• If you had a significant infection last year or if you have a variety that is particularly sensitive or susceptible, early management is even more critical.
• Phomopsis has a rain-splashed pattern of infection.  Therefore wood and canes below active lesions (on permanent or 2year wood) typically get heavier infections than green tissue above the active lesions in permanent wood.  This is especially critical in high cordon training and GDC as well as any of the vertically split canopies such as Smart/Dyson and Scott Henry.
• This disease can also affect the fruit in the late ripening season.

 For more detailed information please see the attached Fact Sheet from Dr. Mike Ellis.