In this section:
Incidence of Phaeoacremonium
In South Australian Vineyards
T.J. Wicks, South Australian Research & Development Institute, GPO Box 397, Adelaide, S.A. Australia 5001
In investigations undertaken more than 20 years ago to determine the cause of a condition described as "Dying Arm" (which was subsequently shown to be due to infection by Eutypa lata) spurs and cordons were removed from vines with stunted shoots. These were then cut into cross sections, split longitudinally and isolations made from brown streaks found in the stem of most samples. The fungus isolated most frequently from these samples produced colonies that rarely exceed 1.5 to 2 cm in diameter after several weeks growth at 20° C. Other characteristics such as phialide shape and colour and spore size were typical of that described for Phaeoacremonium chlamydosporum. This fungus was recovered from 57% of the 271 isolations made from grape vines and was found in Mataro, Grenache and White Hermitage from the Barossa Valley, Pedro Ximine, Doradillo, Grenache and Albillo from the Riverland areas and from Grenache in the Coonawarra area. When one year old spurs of Shiraz and Grenache vines were inoculated with spores of P. chlamydosporum the same fungus was recovered up to 18 cm below pruning wounds. These results show that P. chlamydosporum is widespread in mature vines throughout South Australia. Although the fungus was recovered from inoculated vines, its role in vine declines in South Australian vineyards is unknown.
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Isolation of Phaeoacremonium chlamydosporum from Grapevines |
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|---|---|---|---|
| Cultivar | Location | Number of Isolations |
% Yielding P. chlamydosporum |
| Mataro | Nuriootpa | 58 | 61 |
| Mataro (roots) | Nuriootpa | 9 | 67 |
| Grenache | Nuriootpa | 148 | 62 |
| Pedro Ximin | Loxton | 13 | 45 |
| Grenache | Loxton | 15 | 83 |
| Doradillo | Loxton | 9 | 33 |
| Grenache | Coonawarra | 6 | 16 |
| Albillo | Waikerie | 13 | 92 |
| TOTAL | 271 | 57 | |
