With only two months
till the harvest, many Sherry vineyards are suffering an attack of Mildew, a fungal infection which looks
like white dust on the vines. The results can be serious and reduce the
potential crop. Mildew is one of the most common fungi to affect vines and is
traditionally treated with sulphur, but despite some preventive treatment, this
seems to be having little effect.
The phytosanitary information network of
Andalucía first spotted the problem on 22 May and alerted growers. Recent
weather conditions are behind the problem, which is worst in the vineyards near
the coast where there is more humidity, as heavy rainfall during May was followed by hot weather which
produced high relative humidity, ideal conditions for Mildew to spread. The
weather forecasters think that this summer will be “normal” without the
heatwaves experienced last July.
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