Prime evidenze sperimentali su applicazioni di Trichoderma e Silicio nei confronti della peronospora della vite

FIRST EVIDENCE ON TRICHODERMA AND SILICON APPLICATIONS TOWARDS GRAPEVINE DOWNY MILDEW INFECTIONS. The recent restriction of the use of copper-based formulations, the main tool in the control of downy mildew in organic viticulture, intensified studies on strategies with products alternative to copper for an effective control of the disease. The present study was carried out on potted vines treated with a formulation based on T. asperellum and T. gamsii, and Silicon in the form of silica gel solution on roots and leaves respectively. Potted vines were treated and inoculated with a suspension of P. viticola sporangia, evaluating, at leaf level, both the effect of the infection and the production of jasmonic acid. In the field, trials were carried out for 3 years in two vineyards, detecting the spread and severity of the disease on plants treated with Trichoderma and Silicon. The data showed an increase in jasmonic acid in the treated potted plants, greater for the vines treated with both Trichoderma and Silicon, and a reduction in the severity of the leaf symptoms. A certain reduction in the severity of the disease was also observed in the field trials. Further studies are under way on the possible use of Trichoderma and Silicon for a lower susceptibility of the plant to downy mildew, in synergy with copper-based treatments strategy.