Fungal Diseases in Two North-West Spain Vineyards: Relationship with Meteorological Conditions and Predictive Aerobiological Model

• Main Authors: Jose A. Cortiñas Rodríguez, Estefanía González-Fernández, María Fernández-González, Rosa A. Vázquez-Ruiz, María Jesús Aira
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-02-01
• Series: Agronomy
• Subjects: <i>botrytis</i>; erysiphe; plasmopara; vineyards; incidence; multiple linear regression
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/10/2/219

Grey mould, powdery mildew, and downy mildew are the most frequent fungal diseases among vineyards worldwide. In the present study, we analysed the influence of the fungi causing these diseases (<i>Botrytis, Erysiphe</i>, and <i>Plasmopara</i>, respectively) on two viticulture areas from North-western (NW) Spain during three growth seasons (2016, 2017, and 2018). The obtained results showed the predominant concentration of the <i>Botrytis</i> airborne spores, mainly from the beginning of the Inflorescence emerge phenological stage (S-5) until the end of the Flowering phenological stage (S-6). <i>Erysiphe</i> and <i>Plasmopara</i> airborne spore peak concentrations were more localised around Flowering (S-6) and Development of fruits (S-7) phenological stages. We applied a Spearman&#8217;s correlation test and a Principal Component Analysis to determine the influence of the meteorological parameters on the concentration of airborne spores. Taking into account the variables with the highest correlation coefficient, we developed multiple regression models to forecast the phytopathogenic fungal spore concentrations. The <i>Botrytis</i> model regression equation explained between 59.4&#8722;70.9% of spore concentration variability. The <i>Erysiphe</i> equation explained between 57.6&#8722;61% and the <i>Plasmopara</i> explained between 39.9&#8722;55.8%. In general, we found better prediction results for mean daily concentrations than sporadic spore peaks.