Costly 'grey mould' the centre of promising wine grape research

    Press/Media: Press / Media

    Description

    THE sinking feeling that comes from seeing one "furry grey" strawberry in a punnet is something we all know well.

    But imagine having that same "furry" fungus or rot in million dollar wine grape vintages.

    And it is the type of rot that doesn't just affect one bunch of grapes, it can quickly spread throughout broader growing regions. 

    Despite the current dry conditions the effects of fungus in horticultural crops are a bane to the rural industry. 

    Bunch rot costs the Australian wine grape industry millions at the farm gate and can also adversely affect the colour of wine at the consumer end too.

    And while current research is focused on the wine industry the effects of bunch rot spread to many other horticultural crops such as tomatoes or strawberries. 

    Charles Sturt University (CSU) Professor Chris Steel is at the coalface of new research that promises to determine thresholds of botrytis or grey mould contamination in grapes. The research assesses just how much of this costly rot is too much. 

    Professor Steel explained that this "grey mould"  can impact both yield and wine quality and the flavour (of affected grapes) can taint the end product too. 

    "Growers have to decide when and if they harvest impacted fruit, and at the winery it can lead to the downgrading or possible rejection of fruit," Professor Steel said. 

    He said making this decision was good for economics because costs of production were high within the wine grape industry. 

    For this vintage, the new research will be extended to include Cabernet Sauvignon grapes too.

    Wine Australia general manager of research, Development and extension Dr Liz Waters said bunch rot comes at a significant cost for growers and wine makers.

    Period13 Mar 2019

    Media coverage

    1

    Media coverage

    • TitleCostly 'grey mould' the centre of promising wine grape research
      Media name/outletThe Rural
      Media typeWeb
      Date13/03/19
      DescriptionTHE sinking feeling that comes from seeing one "furry grey" strawberry in a punnet is something we all know well.

      But imagine having that same "furry" fungus or rot in million dollar wine grape vintages.
      And it is the type of rot that doesn't just affect one bunch of grapes, it can quickly spread throughout broader growing regions. 

      Despite the current dry conditions the effects of fungus in horticultural crops are a bane to the rural industry. 
      Bunch rot costs the Australian wine grape industry millions at the farm gate and can also adversely affect the colour of wine at the consumer end too.
      And while current research is focused on the wine industry the effects of bunch rot spread to many other horticultural crops such as tomatoes or strawberries. 
      Charles Sturt University (CSU) Professor Chris Steel is at the coalface of new research that promises to determine thresholds of botrytis or grey mould contamination in grapes. The research assesses just how much of this costly rot is too much. 
      Professor Steel explained that this "grey mould"  can impact both yield and wine quality and the flavour (of affected grapes) can taint the end product too. 
      "Growers have to decide when and if they harvest impacted fruit, and at the winery it can lead to the downgrading or possible rejection of fruit," Professor Steel said. 
      He said making this decision was good for economics because costs of production were high within the wine grape industry. 
      For this vintage, the new research will be extended to include Cabernet Sauvignon grapes too.
      Wine Australia general manager of research, Development and extension Dr Liz Waters said bunch rot comes at a significant cost for growers and wine makers. 
      URLhttps://www.therural.com.au/story/5952365/new-research-tackles-issues-of-rot-in-wine-grapes/?cs=6528
      PersonsChristopher Steel

    Media contributions

    1

    Media contributions

    • TitleCostly 'grey mould' the centre of promising wine grape research
      Media typeWeb
      Country/TerritoryAustralia
      Date13/03/19
      DescriptionTHE sinking feeling that comes from seeing one "furry grey" strawberry in a punnet is something we all know well.
      But imagine having that same "furry" fungus or rot in million dollar wine grape vintages.
      And it is the type of rot that doesn't just affect one bunch of grapes, it can quickly spread throughout broader growing regions. 
      Despite the current dry conditions the effects of fungus in horticultural crops are a bane to the rural industry. 
      Bunch rot costs the Australian wine grape industry millions at the farm gate and can also adversely affect the colour of wine at the consumer end too.
      And while current research is focused on the wine industry the effects of bunch rot spread to many other horticultural crops such as tomatoes or strawberries. 
      Charles Sturt University (CSU) Professor Chris Steel is at the coalface of new research that promises to determine thresholds of botrytis or grey mould contamination in grapes. The research assesses just how much of this costly rot is too much. 
      Professor Steel explained that this "grey mould"  can impact both yield and wine quality and the flavour (of affected grapes) can taint the end product too. 
      "Growers have to decide when and if they harvest impacted fruit, and at the winery it can lead to the downgrading or possible rejection of fruit," Professor Steel said. 
      He said making this decision was good for economics because costs of production were high within the wine grape industry. 
      For this vintage, the new research will be extended to include Cabernet Sauvignon grapes too.
      Wine Australia general manager of research, Development and extension Dr Liz Waters said bunch rot comes at a significant cost for growers and wine makers. 
      URLhttps://www.therural.com.au/story/5952365/new-research-tackles-issues-of-rot-in-wine-grapes/?cs=6528
      PersonsChristopher Steel

    Keywords

    • grey mould