Grapevine protection

Following the phylloxera outbreak, another disease appeared during the 1890s. Many freshly planted vines became sensitive to various plant diseases, primarily the powdery mildew and downy mildew, which attack green parts of the plant.

Powdery mildew can most often be found on leaves and grape clusters. The powdery white to grey coating appears on both sides of the leaves. Young grapes may be entirely covered in the greyish dusty coating, after which they dry out.

Downy mildew may appear on all parts of a grapevine, most commonly on leaves and grapes. It can be spotted on the upper side of the leaves in the form of “oily spots”, while a faint white fuzz appears on the undersides of leaves. The affected leaves turn grey, then become necrotic, dry and curl and fall off. The grapes may be affected in all stages, from buds to full size grapes. The affected young berries and rachis are covered in whitish coating, and when the berries are ripe, they shrivel, their skin turning leathery and purple-brown.

Throughout the past, people fought these diseases in different manners. Before WWI they used copper-based solutions. They used the so-called “Bordeaux mixture”, a solution of the blue vitriol and lime (the oldest fungicide used for combating downy mildew in grapevines). The solution for spraying vines was prepared at the location, in a stone or concrete tank. As there were not enough water wells on the mountain to prepare the solution, rainwater or melted snow were used. The grapevines were sprayed only when needed, i.e. when a disease appeared. In the beginning there were no sprayers, so the solution was applied to vines using sorghum brooms that were dipped into the solution and used to spread it onto the branches. Tulle fabric bags were filled with powdered sulphur and shaken above the leaves to fight powdery mildew.

Source:

Károly, Lábadi: Drávaszögi ábécé, Eszék-Budapest, 1996

Károly, Lábadi: Boranyja, Beli Manastir, 2007

Private collection of Mrs. Margita Sabo from Zmajevac.