Scary article about esca, BDA, and related items from the FT. Those attack rates in Burgundy are worse than anything I've heard of elsewhere, not that I am comprehensive in my surveys. But everyone is worried about it. Didier Barouillet has had some success trying to introduce different mycorrhizal fungi to combat the disease. Matthieu Baudry showed us a sick vine in the Croix Boissee, but I didn't see double digit percentages ill.
Matthieu points out that it isn't clear necessarily what is cause and what is effect. The vine may be weak for some other reason and then fall prey to one or more of the opportunistic fungi. The appearance on the scene of the fungus doesn't exactly satisfy Koch's Postulates. As the article mentions, it may also be related to particular rootstocks. Matthieu thought it could be a change in graft style, too.
But there is the feeling of the early chapters of Dying on the Vine. If you think Burgundy is expensive now, wait until they don't make it anymore!
Matthieu points out that it isn't clear necessarily what is cause and what is effect. The vine may be weak for some other reason and then fall prey to one or more of the opportunistic fungi. The appearance on the scene of the fungus doesn't exactly satisfy Koch's Postulates. As the article mentions, it may also be related to particular rootstocks. Matthieu thought it could be a change in graft style, too.
But there is the feeling of the early chapters of Dying on the Vine. If you think Burgundy is expensive now, wait until they don't make it anymore!