Skip to main content
Log in

Effect of aerated compost tea on grapevine powdery mildew, botrytis bunch rot and microbial abundance on leaves

  • Original Research
  • Published:
European Journal of Plant Pathology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Aerated compost tea (ACT), prepared from immature compost, was applied to foliage and fruit of grapevines (Vitis vinifera) to assess its potential for suppressing two important diseases: botrytis bunch rot, caused by Botrytis cinerea, and powdery mildew, caused by Erysiphe necator. An ACT applied to leaves of Cabernet Sauvignon vines in pots 7 days before inoculation with E. necator conidia reduced mean powdery mildew severity on the three youngest expanded leaves (at inoculation) to less than 1 %; mean severity on non-treated, inoculated leaves was 15 %. Multiple applications of ACTs at two vineyards in different growing seasons suppressed powdery mildew to <1 % mean severity on Chardonnay leaves (non-treated 79 % severity) and bunches (non-treated 77 % severity), and on Riesling leaves (non-treated 24 % severity). The same treatments reduced the incidence of Chardonnay bunches with latent B. cinerea and Riesling bunches with sporulating B. cinerea, although the level of botrytis bunch rot in both experiments was not economically damaging. The numbers of culturable bacteria, fungi and yeasts on Chardonnay leaves were higher than pre-treatment levels 10 days after ACT application, as were fungal numbers on Riesling leaves 21 days after treatment. Suppression by ACTs of two fruit and foliar pathogens of grapevine with different biology and epidemiology indicated potential for their use as a tactic in integrated disease management. Further testing of ACTs in a range of viticultural environments and application regimes will contribute to a better understanding of the impact of this tactic on disease, grape and wine quality.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

ACT:

Aerated Compost Tea

cfu:

Colony-forming units

df:

Degrees of freedom

E-L:

Eichorn-Lorenz

lsd:

Least significant difference

References

  • Beresford, R. M., Evans, K. J., Wood, P. N., & Mundy, D. C. (2006). Disease assessment and epidemic monitoring methodology for bunch rot (Botrytis cinerea) in grapevines. New Zealand Plant Protection, 59, 355–360.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brent, K. J., & Holloman, D. W. (2000). Fungicide resistance management. Plant Disease Research, 15, 1–13.

    Google Scholar 

  • California Department of Pesticide Regulation. (2010). Illnesses and Injuries Related to Pesticide Exposure 1996–2009, California Pesticide Illness Surveillance Program (PISP) Reports and Data. (State of California). (n.d.). Retrieved October 10, 2012, from http://www.cdpr.ca.gov/docs/whs/pisp.htm.

  • Calvert, D. J., & Huffaker, C. B. (1974). Predator (Metaseiulus occidentalis)—prey (Pronematus spp.) interactions under sulfur and cattail pollen applications in a non-commercial vineyard. Entomophaga, 19, 361–369.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coertze, S., Holz, G., & Sadie, A. (2001). Germination and establishment of infection on grape berries by single airborne conidia of Botrytis cinerea. Plant Disease, 85, 668–677.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coombe, B. G. (1995). Adoption of a system for identifying grapevine growth stages. Australian Journal of Grape and Wine Research, 1, 104–110.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crisp, P., Wicks, T. J., Bruer, D., & Scott, E. S. (2006). An evaluation of biological and abiotic controls for grapevine powdery mildew. 2. Vineyard trials. Australian Journal of Grape and Wine Research, 12, 203–211.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Diver, S. (2002). Notes on compost teas: a supplement to the ATTRA publication: Compost Teas for Plant Disease Control. Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas (ATTRA), National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service, AR. (National Center for Appropriate Technology, Montana). Retrieved March 5, 2012, from https://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/summaries/summary.php?pub=125.

  • Elmer, P. A. G., & Michailides, T. J. (2004). Epidemiology of Botrytis cinerea in orchard and vine crops. In Y. Elad, B. Williamson, P. Tudzynski, & N. Delen (Eds.), Botrytis: Biology, Pathology and Control (pp. 243–272). Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Epstein, E. (1997). The science of composting. Lancaster: Technomic Publishing Company.

    Google Scholar 

  • Essling, M., & Cuijers, K. (2011). Agrochemicals Registered for Use in Australian Viticulture 11/12. The Australian Wine Research Institute Limited, Glen Osmond, South Australia, Australia. Retrieved October 10, 2011, from http://www.awri.com.au/industry_support/viticulture/agrochemicals/.

  • Evans, K. J., Whisson, D. L., & Scott, E. S. (1996). An experimental system for characterizing isolates of Uncinula necator. Mycological Research, 100, 675–680.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ficke, A., Gadoury, D. M., & Seem, R. C. (2002). Ontogenic resistance and plant disease management: a case study of grape powdery mildew. Phytopathology, 92, 671–674.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gadoury, D. M., Seem, R. C., Wilcox, W. F., Henick-Kling, T., Conterno, L., Day, A., & Ficke, A. (2007). Effects of diffuse colonization of grape berries by Uncinula necator on bunch rots, berry microflora, and juice and wine quality. Phytopathology, 97, 1356–1365.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Haggag, W. M., & Saber, M. S. M. (2007). Suppression of early blight on tomato and purple blight on onion by foliar sprays of aerated and non-aerated compost teas. Journal of Food, Agriculture & Environment, 5, 302–309.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hurst, C. J., Knudsen, G. R., McInerney, M. J., Stetzenbach, L. D., & Walter, M. V. (2001). Manual of environmental microbiology (2nd ed.). Washington DC: American Society for Microbiology.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ingham, E. (2003). Compost tea: promises and practicalities. Retrieved October 10, 2011, from http://www.acresusa.com/toolbox/articles.htm.

  • Ingham, E. R. (2005). The compost tea brewing manual (5th ed.). Corvallis: Soil Foodweb Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kauer, R., Gaubatz, B., Wöhrle, M., Kornitzer, U., Schultz, H. R., & Kirchner, B. (2000). Organic viticulture without sulfur? 3 years of experience with sodium- and potassium bicarbonate. In H. Willer & U. Meier (Eds.), Proceedings of the 6th International Congress on Organic Viticulture (pp. 180–182). Frick: Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL).

    Google Scholar 

  • Krstic, M., Moulds, G., Panagiotopoulos, B., & West, S. (2003). Growing quality grapes to winery specifications. Adelaide: Winetitles.

    Google Scholar 

  • La Guerche, S., Dauphin, B., Pons, M., Blancard, D., & Darriet, P. (2006). Characterization of some mushroom and earthy off-odors microbially induced by the development of rot on grapes. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemisty, 54, 9193–9200.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lindow, S. E., & Brandl, M. T. (2003). Microbiology of the phyllosphere. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 69, 1875–1883.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Palmer, A. K., Brown, J., Ross, T., Metcalf, D. A., & Evans, K. J. (2010). Potential for growth of E. coli in aerobic compost extract. Compost Science & Utilization, 18, 152–161.

    Google Scholar 

  • Palmer, A. K., Evans, K. J., & Metcalf, D. A. (2010). Characters of aerated compost tea from immature compost that limit colonization of bean leaflets by Botrytis cinerea. Journal of Applied Microbiology, 109, 1619–1631.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Reglinski, T., Elmer, P. A. G., Taylor, J. T., Parry, F. J., Marsden, R., & Wood, P. N. (2005). Suppression of botrytis bunch rot in Chardonnay grapevines by induction of host resistance and fungal antagonism. Australasian Plant Pathology, 34, 481–488.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scheuerell, S. J., & Mahaffee, W. F. (2002). Compost tea: principles and prospects for plant disease control. Compost Science & Utilization, 10, 313–338.

    Google Scholar 

  • Scheuerell, S. J., & Mahaffee, W. F. (2006). Variability associated with suppression of gray mold (Botrytis cinerea) on geranium by foliar application of non-aerated and aerated compost teas. Plant Disease, 90, 1201–1208.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Segarra, G., Reis, M., Casanova, E., & Trillas, M. I. (2009). Control of powdery mildew (Erysiphe polygoni) in tomato by foliar applications of compost tea. Journal of Plant Pathology, 91, 683–689.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sholberg, P., Harlton, C., Boulé, J., & Haag, P. (2006). Fungicide and clay treatments for control of powdery mildew influence wine grape microflora. Hortscience, 41, 176–182.

    Google Scholar 

  • Siddiqui, Y., Meon, S., Ismail, R., & Rahmani, M. (2009). Bio-potential of compost tea from agro-waste to suppress Choanephora cucurbitarum L. the causal pathogen of wet rot of okra. Biological Control, 49, 38–44.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stevens, R. M., Harvey, G., & Davies, G. (1996). Separating the effects of foliar and root salt uptake on growth and mineral composition of four grapevine cultivars on their own roots and on ‘Ramsey’ rootstock. Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science, 121, 569–575.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stummer, B. E., Francis, I. L., Zanker, T., Lattey, K. A., & Scott, E. S. (2005). Effects of powdery mildew on the sensory properties and composition of Chardonnay juice and wine when grape sugar ripeness is standardised. Australian Journal of Grape and Wine Research, 11, 66–76.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sturz, A. V., Lynch, D. H., Martin, R. C., & Driscoll, A. M. (2006). Influence of compost tea, powdered kelp and Manzate® 75 on bacterial-community composition and antibiosis against Phytophthora infestans in the potato phylloplane. Canadian Journal of Plant Pathology, 28, 52–62.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Szkolnik, M. (1983). Unique vapor activity by CGA-64251 (Vangard) in the control of powdery mildews roomwide in the greenhouse. Plant Disease, 67, 360–366.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Walters, D. R. (2009). Are plants in the field already induced? Implications for practical disease control. Crop Protection, 28, 459–465.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Welke, S. E. (2004). The effect of compost extract on the yield of strawberries and the severity of Botrytis cinerea. Journal of Sustainable Agriculture, 25, 57–68.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yang, C.-H., Crowley, D. E., Borneman, J., & Keen, N. T. (2001). Microbial phyllosphere populations are more complex than previously realized. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 98, 3889–3894.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yildirim, I., Onogur, E., & Irshad, M. (2002). Investigations on the efficacy of some natural chemicals against powdery mildew Uncinula necator (Schw.) Burr. of grape. Journal of Phytopathology, 150, 697–702.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

A.K. Palmer received an Australian Postgraduate Award (Industry) from the Australian Research Council (ARC). ARC supported the research in linkage with industry partners Soil First Pty Ltd, Hathaway Trading Pty Ltd and Biocontrol Australia Pty Ltd. Soil First Pty Ltd produced the compost for this study. We thank Mr. Tony Scherer and staff of Frogmore Creek vineyard and Mr. Matthew Pooley and staff of Pooley Wines at Cooinda Vale for assistance and field sites in Tasmania.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to K. J. Evans.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Evans, K.J., Palmer, A.K. & Metcalf, D.A. Effect of aerated compost tea on grapevine powdery mildew, botrytis bunch rot and microbial abundance on leaves. Eur J Plant Pathol 135, 661–673 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10658-012-0103-5

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10658-012-0103-5

Keywords

Navigation