Proper fertilization, drainage, irrigation, plant spacing and weed control will help achieve plant vigor. Creating conditions unfavorable to the pathogen. Some cultural practices can reduce the number of pathogens by starvation, lack of oxygen or by desiccation. Proper aeration of stored products hastens drying and thus reduces bacterial and fungal infection. A recent experiment shows that by reducing the number of leaves on grapevines, the environment within the canopy of the vine is changed, thus reducing the incidence of Botrytis and other fungi.
Insect vectors can cause many diseases as well a.
Any cultural method of insect control will also control for the disease the insect carries. Virus diseases of grapevines, similarly do not invade the uppermost tips of grapevines. Using tissue culture techniques, these tissues can be used to produce virus free grape stock. Although eradication of disease pathogens by cultural methods is a satisfactory way of dealing with plant diseases, in many instances these measure are not possible. Chemical pesticides provide another well proven method of disease control.