Diseases and Pests of the Vine (Volume I) | Pierre Galet

PREFACEBy publishing this work, my objective in 1976 was to provide an overview of the knowledge acquired on the Diseases and Parasites of the Vine, not only regarding their biology and the damages caused to the vines, but also on the control methods. The reasons that prompted me to undertake this important synthesis work mainly stem from the fact that there are no books solely dedicated to this topic available in bookstores. In fact, two old French books have long been considered the "viticultural bible" in this field: - On one hand, P. VIALA's Treatise on Vine Diseases, with its 3rd edition dating back to 1893 - On the other hand, G. ARNAUD's Treatise on Plant Pathology published in 1931, where a large part of Volume I is dedicated to the vine. It is evident that since that time, numerous studies and research conducted worldwide have improved our understanding of the symptoms or causes of certain diseases, the evolution of parasites, while the chemical industry has made available to winegrowers a range of new products, revolutionizing viticultural phytopharmacy. Certainly, in viticulture treaties published in France or abroad, some chapters cover the main diseases or animal damages, but these descriptions are limited in detail and are based on the authors' knowledge and bibliographical research, often somewhat sparse, if not deliberately biased for various reasons: ignorance, laziness, nationalism, regionalism, or corporatism... It is often forgotten to mention the sometimes essential works of those who came before, or to omit the bibliographical references related to them, allowing many to boast of the peacock's feathers or to "silence" inconvenient colleagues through contemptuous silence. Lastly, in more general works on Pathology or Parasitology concerning all agricultural plants, it is clear that vine diseases and parasites can only occupy a limited space. Hence, it seemed interesting to me to write this book while trying not to fall into the aforementioned pitfalls, by indicating as many bibliographical references as possible (though I had to make a selection, limiting myself to original papers and review articles to avoid excessively increasing the number of pages dedicated to the bibliography). The book is extensively illustrated with reproductions of micrographic drawings taken from original articles, and especially with 33 color plates showing the damages and symptoms of diseases and parasites. I must express my particular gratitude to the Sandoz company, which generously provided me with their magnificent plates recently published under the title "Vine Phytopathology," from which I used a large part of the images. Other photos were kindly lent to me by the company Soufres Réunis in Marseille, my colleagues from the Botany, Zoology, and Viticulture Laboratories at the Montpellier School, Mr. MARCELIN from the ITV in Perpignan, Dr. PEZET from the Federal Station of Agronomic Research in Changins (Switzerland), Dr. PANAGOPOULOS from the Benaki Phytopathological Institute (Greece), Mrs. GALZY, Researcher at INRA, Mr. de MEIRLEIRE, Plant Protection Inspector in Reims, or were produced in collaboration with Mr. LABRY, photographer at CRAM. I extend my sincere thanks to all of them. Due to the significance of the work, we had to plan for two volumes: Volume I includes monographs on diseases caused by fungi, bacteria, and viruses, as well as a brief chapter on vine parasitic Phanerogams. Volume II will gather monographs on animal parasites (Nematodes, Gastropods, Mites, Insects, and Vertebrates) as well as the study of non-parasitic diseases (climatic accidents and chemical issues, physiological diseases). Finally, the last part of the book will focus on viticultural phytopharmacy and will include a systematic study of currently marketed chemical products, as well as a chapter on different control methods and spraying equipment. Montpellier, October 3, 1976 Pierre GALET