A characterization of grapevine trunk diseases in France from data generated by the National Grapevine Wood Diseases Survey
Résumé
Grapevine trunk diseases, in particular Eutypa dieback (ED) and esca decline (ES) are major concerns in French and European wine-growing regions. A National Grapevine Trunk Diseases Survey was established in France in order to monitor and analyze the importance and progress of these diseases. Here we report a first series of analyses pertaining to the years 2003-5, where a combination of approaches (hierarchical cluster analysis, multiple correspondence analyses, binomial and multinomial logistic regressions) have been used to characterize the incidences of ED and ES, as well as grape mortality in relation with grapevine age, regions, cultivars, and growing regions. The results indicate distinct patterns of variation in incidences of diseases with a shared contribution to mortality; limited linkage of crop management with diseases, especially ES; and an association of (the now banned) arsenite-based pesticides with reduced ES symptoms, but no such association on grapevine mortality.