SEPTEMBER 2019 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC


Canada eyes clean vines network


Virus-free vineyards are the goal of new grapevine network by TOM WALKER


PENTICTON—Sourcing clean, virus-free vines has been a challenge for the BC wine industry during its rapid growth over the last 25 years. Most vines planted in BC are imported, and many have introduced viruses responsible for red blotch and leafroll. As virus infections spread through BC vineyards, growers and scientists are looking for solutions. Grapevine Leafroll- associated Virus 3 (GLRaV3) is becoming a major problem in BC vineyards. A study between 2014 and 2017 found 23.5% of the more than 15,000 vines tested in BC were infected with GLRaV3. Affected vines decline in health, yield less fruit that ripens later and has lower quality. This in turn leads to poor quality wine. There is no cure for the


virus. Its presence manifests gradually, meaning that as BC vineyards age they are showing the increasing effects of GLRaV3. Red varietals display the characteristic downward curled leaves, which first appear in mid August through to the end of the growing season. Visual symptoms among whites are difficult to see or may appear very late in the season and must be tested. As the vines age, curled leaves will appear earlier in the season. The major vectors for the virus include mealy bugs and


scale insects, which carry it from plant to plant during feeding. Growers propagating new vines from infected plants also contribute to the disease’s spread. According to Hans Buchler,


a veteran Okanagan grower who chairs the Canadian Grapevine Certification Network, GLRaV3 infects an additional 10% of south Okanagan vineyards each year.


All Canadian viticultralists need access to tools to manage grape viruses and they also need access to virus- free planting material. Both of these goals are managed by CGCN, formed in 2017 by the provincial grapegrower associations in BC, Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia. Research is also a priority, and occurs through the Canadian Grape and Wine Science Cluster, which coordinates the work of scientists in the four regions. The science cluster’s work ranges from virus and pathogen issues to cold hardiness and improving wine quality.


Scientists at the Summerland Research and Development Centre are part of the cluster and are developing protocols for GLRaV3. An effective management program includes the detection and removal of infected vines (called roguing) and replacing them with healthy stock. Controlling the insect vectors


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Don and Elaine Triggs facilitated bringing in senior scientist Vaughn Bell from New Zealand to speak to BC grapegrowers about emerging viruses affecting BC grapevines. TOM WALKER PHOTO


such as grape mealybug is also important. Okanagan grapegrowers


were treated to a timely presentation on GLRaV3 when Brock University’s Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (CCOVI) brought Vaughn Bell, senior scientist with the New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research to BC as part of the 2019 Triggs International Premium Vinifera Lecture Series on August 13-14. Supported by wine industry veterans Don and Elaine Triggs, the lecture series includes a field day with growers and a public lecture.


This year’s topic focuses on the New Zealand experience with managing leafroll. Growers toured three south


Okanagan vineyards with varying levels of virus infection.


Summerland research


scientist Tom Lowery outlined his work to control mealy bugs with both conventional and organic practices, while Pat Bowen spoke about the challenging decisions growers face when faced with replacing an entire vineyard. A key for controlling the virus in New Zealand, Bell says, has been the ability to provide growers with certified virus-


free replacement stock. “That was essential to


growers getting on board,” he says. “When growers were able to trust that their replacement stock was clean, they had confidence to start roguing out infected vines.” CGCN received $2.3 million


through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership's AgriAssurance program this summer to support its work. The funding will support the assessment and cataloguing of existing vine samples, allowing them to be traced back to the parent plants and ensuring clean vines are planted in future.


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