Temporal Dynamics and Dispersal Patterns of the Primary Inoculum of Coniella diplodiella, the Causal Agent of Grape White Rot

Abstract

Grape white rot can lead to considerable yield losses in viticultural areas worldwide, which is principally caused by Coniella diplodiella. The fungus overwinters in berry mummies above the soil or on the trellis, and produces pycnidia and conidia that serve as primary inoculum. However, little is known about the temporal dynamics and dispersal pattern of C. diplodiella conidia. In this work, we investigated the production and dispersal of C. diplodiella conidia from a primary inoculum source, namely, affected mummified berries that overwintered in two vineyards in northern Italy, in 2021 and 2022. Conidia of C. diplodiella were repeatedly produced in berry mummies from the budburst of vines to harvesting, with approximately 50% and 75% of the total conidia in a season being produced before fruit set and véraison, respectively. The production dynamics of C. diplodiella conidia over time were described by a Weibull equation in which the thermal time is the independent variable, with concordance correlation coefficient ≥0.964. A rainfall cutoff ≥0.2 mm provided an overall accuracy ≥0.86 in predicting conidial dispersal through rain splashes from berry mummies above the soil, with the number of dispersed conidia increasing with the rain amount. The dispersal of conidia from mummies on the trellis by washing with rain required at least 6.1 mm of rain. The proposed mathematical equations and rain cutoffs can be employed to predict periods with a high dispersal risk of C. diplodiella.