Thursday 28 January 2021
Estimates of Botrytis contamination of wine-grapes are typically conducted using visual inspection of the fruit but such methods are subjective and prone to error. This is particularly the case if the variety of grape in question has a tightly packed cluster with little space between the individual berries. As such it is not unusual to find that the centre of a grape bunch contains fungal rot while the exterior appears disease-free. This presentation will review some of the recent developments and alternative ways in which Botrytis contamination can be assessed and quantified. The advantages and limitations of each of the methods will be compared with particular reference to in-field situations.