{"id":19997,"date":"2026-05-27T09:45:54","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T07:45:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/seipasa.com\/?post_type=blog&p=19997"},"modified":"2026-05-27T09:45:54","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T07:45:54","slug":"grapevine-diseases-and-biocontrol-strategies","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/seipasa.com\/en\/blog\/grapevine-diseases-and-biocontrol-strategies\/","title":{"rendered":"Grapevine diseases and biocontrol strategies: everything you must consider"},"content":{"rendered":"

The emergence of major grapevine diseases constitutes one of the greatest phytosanitary challenges that technicians and producers face each season<\/strong>. Factors such as climate variability, environmental humidity accumulation, or prolonged rainfall create the ideal scenario for the spread of fungal pathogens.<\/p>\n

Considering the weather conditions under which spring progressed, and how summer is shaping up, we are facing the propitious scenario for the appearance of vineyard diseases such as powdery mildew<\/a>, downy mildew<\/a>, and botrytis<\/em> or grey rot<\/a>\u2014three of the most dangerous due to their recurrence and economic impact, and for which Seipasa offers a comprehensive biocontrol program through solutions like Septum<\/a> and Fungisei.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Thus, to successfully manage grapevine diseases, it is essential to analyze the environmental conditions that favor their development and the specific damage that each of these pathogens causes to the crop. Understanding the biological behavior of these pathogens is fundamental for implementing integrated, effective, and sustainable management.<\/p>\n

Powdery mildew: the most dangerous enemy<\/h2>\n

Powdery mildew<\/a> is probably one of the most regular and widespread grapevine diseases.<\/strong> It does not require free water on the tissues to germinate, as moderate environmental humidity is sufficient. It develops optimally under warm temperatures, between 20 \u00b0C and 27 \u00b0C, and the crop is especially sensitive throughout the phenological cycle extending from the beginning of flowering to bunch closure.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Its most characteristic symptom is the appearance of a whitish or grayish powder (ash) that covers leaves, shoots, and bunches. The primary damage occurs when it attacks the berries, as it limits skin elasticity, causing them to crack and split. This directly destroys production and exposes the bunch to highly severe secondary infections.<\/p>\n

Downy mildew: the most unexpected obstacle<\/h2>\n

Downy mildew<\/a> is extremely destructive within the complex of grapevine diseases<\/strong>. It depends on the presence of liquid water and mild temperatures to initiate its infections. Night dew, high environmental humidity, as well as rainy springs or summers, propitiously create the ideal conditions for the development of the disease.<\/p>\n

On leaves, symptoms are visible on the upper side as oil spots, while on the underside, a whitish felt develops where the fungal spores are located. If it attacks young bunches, it causes their total desiccation. The loss of foliar mass reduces the photosynthetic capacity of the plant, weakening the vine and compromising both the current and future harvest. The phytosanitary alert window is most critical during the flowering and fruit set stages.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Botrytis<\/em> or grey rot: when prevention is the key<\/h2>\n

Closing this critical group of vineyard diseases, we find botrytis<\/em><\/a>. This fungus attacks under conditions of high humidity and prolonged rainfall, showing particular aggressiveness during flowering and, above all, during grape ripening.<\/p>\n

Botrytis<\/em> or grey rot frequently exploits previous wounds on the berries (caused by insect bites, rain, or hail) or excessive bunch compaction to penetrate the tissues.<\/strong> Affected bunches exhibit a soft rot covered by a cottony, gray mass.<\/p>\n

The manifestations of grey rot in vineyards are easily identifiable on leaves, shoots, and bunches, with the latter suffering the most visible and severe consequences. The disease is evidenced by brown spots on the inflorescences or on the woody zones of the bunch, as well as the decomposition of the berries, which become covered in a characteristic grayish mold.<\/p>\n

Seipasa biocontrol: natural innovation against grapevine diseases<\/h2>\n

Viticulture is no stranger to the current scenario, which is marked by a strict regulatory framework and the demands of a market increasingly oriented toward sustainable productions free of chemical residues. To respond to this challenge, the Spanish company Seipasa develops strategies for the control of grapevine diseases based on integrated pest and disease management.<\/strong><\/p>\n

These strategies are oriented toward reducing the risk of resistance emergence and are designed to provide effective, safe, and sustainable solutions for both conventional and organic viticulture.<\/p>\n

Septum: natural fungicidal action<\/h2>\n

Septum<\/a> is a natural solution with fungicidal action registered for the control of downy mildew and powdery mildew in grapevines<\/strong>. It has been developed from a selection of key molecules obtained from Equisetum arvense<\/em> extract<\/a>, 100% characterized by Seipasa. These molecules have been isolated and are presented in a balanced ratio to ensure maximum efficacy.<\/p>\n

The product exerts a dual preventive and curative action. Septum acts by destroying fungal cell walls through direct contact and induces the activation of the plant’s own defenses, promoting the mechanical strengthening of foliar and bunch tissues.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Septum is an ideal tool for inclusion in integrated management strategies that seek a significant reduction in the chemical load of treatments without losing efficacy. We see this in Chart 1, which shows the results of Septum for the control of downy mildew in an efficacy trial conducted in Italy. At a time when disease incidence spikes, the mixed strategy using Septum competes head-to-head and with full guarantees against the conventional strategy (100% chemical references) and manages to keep disease pressure low.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Grapevine<\/h5>\n
Chart 1.- Disease incidence. Downy mildew. % of attacked bunches.<\/h5>\n

Most relevantly, the mixed strategy, with 3 applications of Septum, reduces the chemical load of treatments by 35%<\/a><\/strong>. Originally, we started from a conventional strategy based on chemical references. In the mixed strategy, two applications of synthetic active ingredients were replaced with Septum, and a third application of Septum was added at the end, making up those 3 total applications.<\/p>\n

In Chart 2, we see the efficacy results of Septum<\/a> for the control of powdery mildew. In this case, the incidence on leaves was evaluated using a strategy of 7 applications in a trial carried out in Spain. Again, at a time of maximum disease pressure, Septum contains the progress of powdery mildew and shows results very similar to the chemical reference against which its performance was compared in this trial.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Grapevine<\/h5>\n
Chart 2.- Disease incidence on leaves. Powdery mildew.<\/h5>\n

Septum is an ideal tool for zero-residue strategies and is authorized for use in organic agriculture.<\/p>\n

Fungisei: high technology against botrytis<\/em><\/h2>\n

In the case of botrytis<\/em>, Seipasa recommends the application of Fungisei<\/a> within a preventive strategy<\/strong>. Fungisei is a biofungicide developed from a highly effective and pure strain of Bacillus subtilis<\/em><\/a>, which stands out for its exclusive and patented formulation. Furity technology<\/a>, which brings the product to life, takes form in a molecular structure capable of protecting the active ingredient, ensuring its stability and homogeneity, and maximizing its power of action once applied to the crop.<\/p>\n

The performance of the product can be observed in Chart 3, showing the results of the trial on the evolution of botrytis incidence on bunches. This is a trial carried out in France with 5 applications. Fungisei not only reduces disease pressure but also does so by improving the efficacy of the biological reference against which it was compared.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Grapevine<\/h5>\n
Chart 3.- Disease incidence on bunches. Botrytis<\/em>.<\/h5>\n

In this case, it is relevant to highlight the added value of the Fungisei formulation, which is capable of enhancing the mode of action of the Bacillus subtilis<\/em> strain. Thus, even with fewer CFU (colony-forming units) than the biological reference, Fungisei achieves better results in head-to-head comparison.<\/p>\n

Fungisei acts through a triple mode of action (direct antagonism via competition for nutrients and space, production of lipopeptides, and induction of plant defenses) and prevents the emergence of resistance. Furthermore, as it does not alter or interfere with the fermentation process, it is the ideal ally for pre-harvest applications, since it leaves no chemical residues on the grape and has no pre-harvest interval (zero-day PHI).<\/strong><\/p>\n

Success in controlling grapevine diseases lies in early detection, prevention, and control through integrated management strategies that provide efficacy in results, safety at key times of application, and quality in the final production.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":20093,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"categoria-blog":[50,56,58,60],"class_list":["post-19997","blog","type-blog","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","categoria-blog-biofungicides","categoria-blog-crops","categoria-blog-diseases","categoria-blog-pesticide"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/seipasa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog\/19997","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/seipasa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/seipasa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/blog"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seipasa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20093"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/seipasa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19997"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"categoria-blog","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seipasa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categoria-blog?post=19997"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}