🦠 Erysiphe necator
The fungus behind grape powdery mildew, brought to Europe from America.
Erysiphe necator is the Latin name of the fungus that causes powdery mildew of grapes. The disease is also called oidium. The fungus covers leaves, shoots and berries with a white-grey coating, as if they were dusted with flour.
The fungus comes from North America. There, American grape species adapted to it long ago. It reached Europe in the 1840s and spread quickly through the vineyards. The European grape, Vitis vinifera, had no defence, and the disease did great damage. Later vineyards survived other troubles from America too, such as phylloxera.
The fungus likes warm dry weather with high air humidity. Infected berries crack, dry out and give poor wine. The crop shrinks.
The main remedy is sulfur, applied as a dust or a solution. Airing the vine, leaf removal and resistant varieties also help against the disease. The fungus belongs among the vine diseases together with downy mildew and grey rot.
How it connects to Wine
🦠 Erysiphe necator ← affects ← 🦠 Powdery mildew (oidium) → kind of → 🦠 Grapevine diseases → kind of → 🌿 Viticulture → kind of → 🍷 Wine
Links
- What affects it
- 🦠 Powdery mildew (oidium)
- Part of
- 🦠 Powdery mildew (oidium)
Frequently asked questions
What is Erysiphe necator?
It is the fungus that causes powdery mildew, or oidium, on grapes.
Where did powdery mildew in Europe come from?
The fungus is native to North America and reached Europe in the 1840s.
How is powdery mildew treated?
Mainly with sulfur, and also by airing the vine and using resistant varieties.