Spread of the Grapevine Disease in the Upper Adige Valley

Austria.

D. v. H. Lana, 13 July. The grapevine disease, a kind of mold (of the genus Mucor), has now also been showing itself for about two weeks in the upper Adige Valley — from Terlan to Meran —; in the former place, the infected berries fall off immediately and only the bare stems remain hanging on the trellises beside a few leaves that appear covered with dust; — further towards Meran, this mold is present as well, though the berries continue to grow regardless, yet they gradually burst open, most frequently in the vicinity of Algund and Gratsch; the smell of mold is particularly noticeable before sunrise, even perceptible in the air; to the touch, a greasy substance clings to the fingers, from which the odor disappears only after repeated washings. Where the leaves are not coated in white, they are still eaten by livestock without harm, but the animals do not touch the moldy ones at all. The strangest thing is that in identical positions, one row of vines appears infected while another remains completely untainted — here the shaded locations suffer, there the higher ones, and it strikes the thin-skinned variety (the so-called Vernatsch) preferentially; — no specific cause could yet be found, as the weather has been ideal for the growth of grapes; — after an attempt at washing them off, the mold immediately increased further. Many varieties of fruit are also dropping off or beginning to rot; — in several higher-elevation places, the potato plants are already drying up, shedding their blossoms, and failing to form seed balls. The damage is incalculable, for years to come as well.