Weather effects of stalk necrosis in Vitis
Journal: Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants (Julius Kühn-Institut)
Year: 2015

A 5-step physiological explanation is offered for correlations found by THEILER and MÜLLER (1986) between aspects of the weather at flowering and the incidence of stalk necrosis in grape. Four of the steps are well supported in the literature and are discussed briefly. The other step proposes that the development of xylem in the peduncle is stimulated by floral evapotranspiration. This postulate is tested with measurements of xylem cross-sectional area in clusters taken from vineyards located in