Crown Gall management

[Stressbaby]

I have what I believe to be crown gall. The vines are 3 years old.

I inexplicably lost ~12 of my 40 Nortons over the winter and early spring-time period - they didn't leaf out or they barely pushed some leaves then just wilted and died. Of the vines that are left, several this year looked very weak, with little growth and really poor color. I did not let any of these weaker vines carry any grapes. Norton was sourced from AA with a few from another source I found in Arkansas. I say that because I was told once by a reputable winery that they had gotten infected material from AA.

There has been no mower or trimmer damage. I'm sure that in the past I have rubbed off trunk shoots with insufficient attention to sanitation. That has been corrected. The thing that makes me wonder if my plants were already infected is that 1) these aren't galls in the way you usually think of galls (like a knotty growth) - they appear to be abnormal circumferentially over the lower 18-24" of the trunks, and 2) at this point, largely Norton and Chambourcin are affected. All pics below are those 2 varieties except for the last pic which is the one obvious Vidal infection.

Mostly that is water under the bridge. I'm really looking for advice on management. Gallex appears to be hard to find online.
@Dennis Griffith

 

[Lando545]

Is your row cover made of Hay or just grass cuttings from your yard?

 

[Stressbaby]

Is your row cover made of Hay or just grass cuttings from your yard?

Neither, that is grass knocked back with Roundup.

 

[bshef]

There are some Ag articles concerning management of crown gall. Allowing more than two trunks; up to five. Crown gall is in the ground and is a danger especially in cold areas. That’s the reason to hill up around the graft and to use resistant rootstock. Oddly Norton is somewhat resistant to crown gall.

 

[treesaver]

I've got quite a bunch of norton vines, and my trunks look just like yours in the pics. I had a bumper crop this year and no sign of trouble. I lost one vine last fall, after the spraying incident, so I assumed that was what caused it. Wish I could be of more help.

 

[Stressbaby]

I've got quite a bunch of norton vines, and my trunks look just like yours in the pics. I had a bumper crop this year and no sign of trouble. I lost one vine last fall, after the spraying incident, so I assumed that was what caused it. Wish I could be of more help.

Interesting. They don't look like any of my other (presumably healthy) vines.
I suppose I'll take the winemaking approach and just sit tight for a while perhaps...

 

[wxtrendsguy]

Unfortunately those vines are what I call zombie vines...they are most likely dead but just don't know it yet. Probably will die next summer. I'd probably wait till budbreak and then cut off the trunks about 6" above the graft and hope you get some suckers push from non infected portions of the vine.

For healthy vines I'd recommend that you hill up soil around your vines every fall, especially on vines less than 10 yrs old. If you get a hard freeze they will regrow new trunks and within 1 year you'll be back in the game.

 

[user 36973]

Chambourcin are affected.

My own rooted chambourcin, both from AA and another vineyard, are routinely hammered by crown gall. I haven't found a work around other than training up two trunks. I'm actually looking at replacing them with corot noir since I'm tired of continually retraining the chambourcin.

 

[Stressbaby]

Thanks for the replies. Will have to keep fingers crossed for this year because I didn't mound anything up.

@wxtrendsguy they aren't grafted. Same treatment?

 

[Stressbaby]

What would happen if I just dug them up and replanted? I've read you are supposed to wait 2 years...

 

[Dennis Griffith]

I have had vines from AA develop crown gall after about three years. The variety most effected (for me) is Buffalo and they look exactly like the pics above. They are own rooted. Fortunately I only have 4 of these (used for grape jelly), but would like to keep them. One vine I started a second trunk and cut the original out this fall. Two others I trimmed the galls off and treated with cheap (Krogers brand) antibacterial cream (like Neosporin). The fourth I'm keeping a close eye on and will let a second shoot grow this spring. Other varieties effected to a lessor degree are America. I have trimmed off the galls on some and treated with the cream as well. I plan on treated all rows this spring with Actinovate (soil drench method) in hopes that will curtail some of my issue. And I plan on inoculating new plants this year with the same stuff. As for Gallex and its sister product Galltrol, I contacted the company as was told it was not approved for use in Ohio. One of the issues with the Agrobacterium Vitis bacteria (crown gall) is that once the vines is infected, it causes a genetic alteration. I not sure how this effects the long term viability of the vine. This seems to be the way to go to combat crown gall though.[FONT="Trebuchet MS",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif] [/FONT]I would like to find somewhere where it IS approved and would like to acquire some through that state. I've actually thought of mixing my own antibacterial paint for treating trimmed spots. But for now, my plan is to trim off galls and treat, start second canes on suspect vines, and try Actinovate (I know it's for fungus, but have read reports of it suppressing the crown gall bacteria).

 

[Snafflebit]

A vineyard I am pruning has terrible crown gall. Even the base nodes are infected. This is grafted cab sauv. Here is a pic of a cordon I cut off. What I am noticing is the portion of the vineyard most affected is shaded in the early afternoon.