Grapevine Trunk Disease Management for Vineyard longevity

Grapevine trunk diseases, such as esca, have become a scourge for vineyards. They cause accelerated vine decline and can lead to up to 5% mortality per year in certain plots. Faced with this alarming situation, the wine industry is mobilizing to effectively counter these fungal attacks that threaten the long-term sustainability of vineyards.

Among the solutions being implemented, one technique has been regaining interest in recent years: vine trunk scraping.

Vine affected by Esca – wood disease

What is vine trunk scraping?

Scraping is a curative method used to combat grapevine trunk diseases, particularly esca. The technique involves manually treating an affected vine stock with a small portable chainsaw.

The objective? To open the trunk and remove the parts of wood infected by the fungus, known as amadou. These diseased areas are easy to recognize: they display an orange color and a spongy texture.

This practice can be compared to a dentist’s intervention: cleaning out a cavity in depth to save the tooth… or in this case, to save the vine.

Why resort to vine trunk scraping?

When a vine shows symptoms of esca (tiger-striped leaves, premature drying, general weakening), scraping makes it possible to:

• slow down or even stop the progression of the disease

• extend the productive life of the vine

• save the current year’s harvest if the intervention is carried out in time

• avoid replanting, which is often long and costly

Once the vine has been scraped, it is common to see a return to full vitality as early as the following year, with normal grape production.

A remedy against vineyard decline

Vineyard decline is now a major issue. The causes of trunk disease development are multifactorial:

• sensitive grape varieties

• poor-quality grafting

• water or heat stress

• unsuitable training systems

• pruning defects

• early onset of production…

In this context, scraping appears to be an effective solution, though manual and time-consuming. On average, an experienced worker can treat about 80 vines per day, depending on conditions.

A cost to put into perspective

Scraping is labor-intensive, but its long-term economic impact is positive:

• A dead vine requires replanting, followed by several years (often more than 5) before becoming fully productive again.

• Replacing vines also involves planting costs, protection, and additional maintenance.

• By comparison, scraping preserves the vigor of the existing vine stock, avoiding disruption in production.

A practice within a broader strategy

Scraping should not be seen as a miracle or stand-alone solution. It is part of a broader agroecological strategy aimed at:

• improving pruning practices that respect sap flow

• choosing grape varieties and rootstocks less sensitive to trunk diseases

• adapting planting and training conditions

• carefully monitoring symptoms from their first appearance

In some cases, the vine is too severely infected to be scraped. Regrafting may then be considered as an alternative.

In summary: the benefits of scraping