Pruning, shoot thinning, leaf plucking, and canopy management are important cultural practices for disease control in vineyards. Pruning removes inoculum sources and sets the vines up for balanced growth. Shoot thinning opens the canopy for better aeration, spray penetration, and light exposure. Leaf plucking further opens the bunch zone to promote ripening and control diseases like powdery mildew and botrytis. An open canopy through these practices is essential for organic disease management.

1. Cultural Practices For Disease Control in Vineyards Caine Thompson, Viticulturist, Mission Estate Winery

2. It Starts With Pruning Purpose - to set vines up for growing season - remove innoculum sources - prune with balance in mind –avoid conjecstion Cane pruning - number, selection, size, bud spacing, wrap Spur pruning - number, buds, height?

4. Shoot Thinning For Space Purpose – to remove surplus shoots and to moderate crop yield Advantages – open canopy, aeration, spray penetration, light How – cane prune – doubles, unders, heads How – spur prune – shoots per spur? Severity depends on site and also end use of fruit

5. Leaf Plucking Purpose – to open up bunch zone Advantages – spray penetration, aeration, promotion of ripening, disease control –powdery, botrytis Exposure – check with winery Options – machine, hand, sheep

6. Leaf Plucking

7. Canopy Management Tucking – keep shoots upright and within wires – care required Shoot positioning – ultimate for disease control. Implemented at shoot thinning can be taken to actual shoot tying

8. Canopy management

9. Bunch Thinning Purpose to moderate crop load/remove disease/reduce crowding Timing – berries peas size Supervision required If pruned well, shoot thinned, positioned, then bunch thinning may not be required Required when bunches touching/growing together and/or when crop load limits ripening potential

10. Bunch Trash Removal Seen to be perhaps the key for botrytis control in white varieties in particular Collard leaf plucker – proven to clear trash from bunches and to significantly improve botrytis control at harvest Chris Henry Canopy Blower – trials being conducted this year

11. Flowers for insect control Purpose to encourage bio control – parasitic wasp predation of LBAM Sow every 10th row (30m) Phacelia (3kg/ha) Buckwheat (25kg/ha) Direct drill to reduce costs Costs $26/ha Prodigy costs $36/ha Benefits soil structure

12. Flowers for insect control

13. Endopathegentic Control of Mealybug Endopathegentic fungi being trialled in Virus Elimination Project Natural product fungus – Biogro certified Been used extensively in Greenhouses in NZ with good results Being trialled in a 2ha trial comparing conventional vs fungi

14. Endopathegentic Control of Mealybug

15. Summary Cultural management is the key for managing disease in an organic system An open canopy is essential Prune for shoot position Shoothin for vine balance Leaf pluck to open bunch zone Balance is the key