Esca (Black Measles)
A complex trunk disease of grapevine associated with several wood-colonizing fungi, affecting the vine's vascular system.
Affected Plant
Grape
Severity
High
Symptoms
- Interveinal "tiger-stripe" discoloration on leaves
- Small dark spots on berries
- Internal wood decay
- Sudden vine collapse in severe cases
Causes
- Fungal colonization of trunk and wood, often entering through pruning wounds
- Chronic, cumulative trunk disease that develops over years
Prevention
- Use careful pruning practices and avoid wounding during wet periods
- Protect pruning cuts
- Avoid pruning during periods of active fungal spore release
Management
- No reliable cure once established; remove and destroy severely affected wood or vines
- Trunk renewal may be attempted in some cases per local viticultural extension guidance
Related Grape Diseases
Think your plant might have Esca (Black Measles)?
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Diagnose Your PlantDisclaimer: This is an AI-generated result and not a replacement for expert agronomic or plant-pathology diagnosis. Confidence scores reflect the model's certainty, not biological ground truth. The model was trained and evaluated on leaf photos captured under controlled, lab-like conditions, so accuracy on real-world field photos (cluttered backgrounds, variable lighting, multiple or overlapping leaves) may be lower than the reported evaluation metrics.