Foreword: Special issue on fungal grapevine diseases

Authors: KISS, LEVENTE - Hungarian Academy Of Sciences; HOLB, IMRE - Hungarian Academy Of Sciences; ROSSI, VITTORIO - Catholic University Of The Sacred Heart Italy; Cadle-Davidson, Lance; JEGER, MICHAEL - Imperial College

Submitted to: European Journal of Plant Pathology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/20/2016
Publication Date: 4/20/2016
Citation: Kiss, L., Holb, I., Rossi, V., Cadle Davidson, L.E., Jeger, M. 2016. Foreword: Special issue on fungal grapevine diseases. European Journal of Plant Pathology. 144: 693. doi:10.1007/x10658-015-0844-z.

Interpretive Summary: An impressively large proportion of fungicides applied in European, North American and Australian agriculture has been used to manage grapevine powdery mildew, grapevine downy mildew, and botrytis bunch rot. These remain amongst the most important disease problems worldwide, despite extensive research on pathogenesis, epidemiology and management. Many fungal diseases of grapevine, like grape black rot, cause extreme problems occasionally or regionally while grapevine trunk disease complexes, primarily of fungal origin, are serious, chronic threats in worldwide with significance that may be underestimated. In spite of so many smaller and larger meetings on these issues, the first international symposium dedicated entirely to fungal grapevine pathogens was held only recently, from 29 March to 2 April 2015, in Eger, a famous wine-producing region in Hungary. This meeting, the first International Workshop on Fungal Grapevine Diseases (http://grapedisease.uni-eger.hu/) was hosted by the Eszterházy Károly University of Applied Sciences in Eger, and co-organized by the Plant Protection Institute, Centre for Agricultural Research of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA-ATK). The current Special Issue of EJPP contains both nine papers that resulted from the workshop and three other papers which have recently been submitted to the journal on this topic. We think that this Special Issue can be useful for a broad spectrum of researchers, students, academics, as well as for professionals working in the plant protection industry and extension and advisory service agencies.

Technical Abstract: An impressively large proportion of fungicides applied in European, North American and Australian agriculture has been used to manage grapevine powdery mildew (Erysiphe necator), grapevine downy mildew (Plasmopara viticola), and botrytis bunch rot (Botrytis cinerea). These fungal and oomycetous plant pathogens remain amongst the most important plant pathological problems worldwide, despite extensive research on pathogenesis, epidemiology and management. Many fungal diseases of grapevine, like grape black rot (Guignardia bidwellii), cause extreme problems occasionally or regionally while grapevine trunk disease complexes, primarily of fungal origin, are serious, chronic threats in viticulture worldwide with significance that may be underestimated. In spite of so many smaller and larger meetings on this issue, the first international symposium dedicated entirely to fungal grapevine pathogens was held only recently, from 29 March to 2 April 2015, in Eger, a famous wine-producing region in Hungary. This meeting, the first International Workshop on Fungal Grapevine Diseases (http://grapedisease.uni-eger.hu/) was hosted by the Eszterházy Károly University of Applied Sciences in Eger, and co-organized by the Plant Protection Institute, Centre for Agricultural Research of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA-ATK). The current Special Issue of EJPP contains both nine papers that resulted from the workshop and three other papers which have recently been submitted to the journal on this topic. We think that this Special Issue can be useful for a broad spectrum of researchers, students, academics, as well as for professionals working in the plant protection industry and extension and advisory service agencies.