REMEDIER® (Trichoderma asperellum and Trichoderma gamsii): a new opportunity to control the esca disease complex. Five years of results of field trials in Italy.

The results obtained after five years of field trials released in Italian vineyards in six different regions, against the "esca disease complex" of grapevine by using Remedier® a microbiological fungicide containing two selected strains of Trichoderma are reported. The trials have been performed on extremely susceptible varieties, on young vineyards to test the preventive effect and on older vineyards (ten years and more) with evident symptoms to evaluate the effectiveness of the treatment in reducing the spread of symptomatic vines. The effective and fast colonization of the pruning wounds by the Trichoderma isolates allowed in the vineyard an excellent preventative activity towards severe infections of Phaeomoniella chlamydospora artificially produced on pruning wounds, a reduction of foliar symptoms already at the second-third year of application, a significant reduction of the spread of new infections, and from the fourth year a decrease of the number of the dead plants, also on particularly susceptible varieties. The product Remedier®, applied after spring pruning at sap bleeding stage, proved to be effective and of practical use; completely compatible with all the main strategies of disease control in the vineyards, it is actually the only microbiological agrochemical authorized in Italy to prevent one of the most serious diseases of grapevine.