Susceptibility of Cold-Climate Wine Grape Cultivars to Downy Mildew, Powdery Mildew, and Black Rot

Lack of knowledge regarding the susceptibility of cold-climate hybrid wine grape cultivars may be leading to the overuse of fungicides and underutilization of plant host resistance to combat disease in the northern United States. To provide new insights on diseases of cold-climate cultivars and to update management recommendations, disease was evaluated in three vineyards containing eight cultivars that were not sprayed with fungicides in 2015 and 2016. Disease severity or incidence of downy mildew (Plasmopara viticola), powdery mildew (Erysiphe necator), and black rot (Guignardia bidwellii) were measured from bud break until 2 weeks after harvest. Cold-climate cultivars ranged widely in susceptibility to different diseases and, although several cultivars were relatively resistant to two diseases, no cultivar was highly resistant to all three diseases. Additionally, a difference between foliar and fruit susceptibility for all three diseases was noted in several cultivars. These data provide a foundation for developing low-spray and certified organic disease management strategies for cold-climate wine grape cultivars based on susceptibility to disease.