Secretariat of Agriculture of RS inspects vineyards in Serra to detect vine canker

The Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock and Rural Development (Seapdr), through the Plant Health Defense Division, carried out phytosanitary inspections in the municipalities of Bento Gonçalves and Garibaldi to detect grapevine canker, a disease caused by the bacteria Xanthomonas campestris pv. wine growing. Conducted by eight state agricultural inspectors from Seapdr, monitoring activities took place from February 14th to 16th, on 25 properties producing table grapes and wine.

According to the head of the Plant Health Defense Division, agronomist Rita Antochevis, vine canker is considered a quarantine pest present in Brazil by the Ministry of Agriculture, but without occurrence in Rio Grande do Sul. The disease was detected for the first in the country in 1998, in the Sub-middle São Francisco Valley, and is present in the states of Pernambuco, Bahia, Piauí, Ceará and Roraima. “It is a difficult disease to control. Its introduction could cause serious damage to the State’s viticulture”, he warns.

According to Rita, monitoring is done with visual inspection of the vine plants, observing the branches, inflorescences and bunches of grapes. “The symptoms on the leaves appear as dark spots, with or without yellow edges, which can come together and cause the death of large leaf areas. On the veins, petioles and branches, elongated dark spots form, which evolve into black openings. The berries are uneven in size and color, and may also have lesions”, he explains.

Spread occurs through infected propagative material, contaminated work material, infected cultural treatments spread across the vineyard, wind and rain. “It is important that the producer pays attention to the acquisition of seedlings from other states and, in case of suspected infection, immediately informs the Secretariat. This way we can provide the correct diagnosis and eradication of the outbreak, avoiding spread to other vineyards”, highlights agronomist Maria Luiza Santos Conti, who also participated in the monitoring action.