Airborne fungal phytopathological spore assessment in three European vineyards from different bioclimatic areas

Abstract

The most common fungal diseases of Vitis vinifera are powdery mildew (Erysiphe necator (Schw.) Burr.), grey mould (Botrytis cinerea Pers.) and downy mildew (Plasmopara viticola (Berk. and Curt.) Berk. and de Toni). Knowledge about the concentration of their spores in the atmosphere of the vineyard is important in order to ascertain the fungal load in the vineyard during the reproductive vine cycle. An aerobiological study was conducted in three vineyards across Europe: in North-Western Spain (Cenlle), South Spain (Montilla) and South-Eastern Poland (Rzeszow). During 2016, three Hirst-type spore traps sampled the airborne particles in each vineyard during the reproductive cycle of grapevine. The main goal of this study was the analysis and comparison of the spore concentrations in the three studied viticultural areas using different statistical tools. The most abundant spores in the vineyards atmosphere were Erysiphe necator. The highest fungal spore concentrations belonged to the North-western Spain zone, due to rainfall and temperature conditions were optimal for mould development in this area. In South Spain and South-eastern Poland, the daily spore peaks took place before than North Spain spore peaks. Average temperature, relative humidity and rainfall were the principal factors affecting the spore concentration in all zones. Redundancy Analysis showed high correlation between meteorological parameters and fungal spore concentrations.