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The Tuscan agronomists Alberto Passeri, Mario Guerrieri and Roberto Ercolani have developed a remedy against Esca. Since 2017, they have been researching together on the biological paste "Escafix", which is applied to a vertical cut in the trunk of an already severely damaged vine. The paste remains on the plant throughout the winter. After positive field trials in the vineyard, the agronomists made their research results available to the Italian Institute for Enology and Viticulture CREA and applied for a patent. Among others, vines affected by Esca on the Tuscan vineyards La Gerla, Querciabella, Castello di Monsanto, Banfi, Caparzo, Ferrero, Fanti, Mantellassi and Castello di Montepò - Biondi Santi were treated with Escafix.
The CREA Institute has now published a study with the promising results: 85 percent of the Sangiovese vines as well as 78 to 80 percent of the Sauvignon vines could be cured. In addition, the researchers observed a more vigorous growth in treated plants compared to untreated plants. The vines showed significantly improved water management, better leaf transpiration and photosynthesis performance on par with uninfected plants. In addition, a lower incidence of infection was observed over the years following the first treatment.
Esca disease has become the biggest problem in viticulture over the past 15 years. In California alone, the damage amounts to 1.5 billion US dollars per year, according to a study by the South African University of Stellenbosch. In Europe, too, many winegrowers are fighting the disease. Especially the grape varieties Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot and Sangiovese are susceptible to Esca. The effects on the vine are devastating: If they are attacked by the Esca fungi, the leaves turn yellow and red already in July and August, but they remain attached to the shoot. The vine dries out very quickly, the grapes remain green and shrivel up instead of ripening.
(ru / Source: Winenews; Photo: ru)