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Posts by Phil Brannen

Phil Brannen

About Phil Brannen

Phil Brannen is a Professor in the Plant Pathology Department at the University of Georgia. He attended the University of Georgia for his undergraduate degree in Plant Protection and Pest Management, where he also received an M.S. in Plant Pathology, followed by a Ph.D. in Plant Pathology from Auburn University. He has extensive experience with disease management programs in numerous cropping systems. He serves as the extension fruit pathologist for Georgia – conducting research and technology transfer for multiple fruit commodities. His efforts are directed towards developing IPM practices to solve disease issues and technology transfer of disease-management methods to commercial fruit producers. He also teaches the graduate level Field Pathology Course, the History of Plant Diseases and their Impact on Human Societies Course, team-teaches the IPM Course, coordinates the Viticulture and Enology in the Mediterranean Region Course (Cortona, Italy), and guest lectures in numerous other courses throughout the year.

Powdery Mildew Resistance Survey

Sep 21, 2020 | Written by

Are you seeing powdery mildew in your vineyard this season? If so, we would love to sample it, as it could mean that your fungicide program is breaking down due to resistance development in the powdery mildew fungus. One of our graduate students in the University of Georgia Plant Pathology…
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End-of-season grape disease levels on Pierce’s disease resistant Camminare Noir and selection 07370-84 cultivars

Aug 12, 2020 | Written by

You may find this YouTube video to be of interest. With the amount of Pierce’s disease (PD) we are observing lately, we need to consider alternatives to Vitis vinifera and susceptible hybrid cultivars, especially at lower elevations and latitudes throughout Georgia. In light of our need for production of quality…
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Muscadine Disease Presentation

Jul 30, 2020 | Written by

Mark Hoffman (North Carolina State) conducted a webinar on muscadine disease management yesterday. It included extension personnel and producers. If you are interested in a review of muscadine diseases and their management, please go to the link below. I cover all the major diseases of muscadine in my talk, and…
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Pierce’s Disease Training

Jul 8, 2020 | Written by

We will soon be observing symptoms of Pierce’s disease in susceptible grape varieties — Vitis vinifera and some hybrids such as Chambourcin. Unfortunately, winter temperatures have now been mild for several years, so we are seeing an uptick in Pierce’s disease at higher and higher elevations in Georgia and throughout…
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Downy Mildew Leaf Symptoms and Signs

Jun 24, 2020 | Written by

Disease identification in wine grapes can be confusing, even for the “experts,” so it is good to continually reinforce your knowledge of diseases and their symptoms (spots or discoloration on a leaf for example) and signs (actual pathogen fruiting structures and other tissues you can see with the naked eye…
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Wine Grape Pathology Podcast Episode

Jun 24, 2020 | Written by

If you listen to podcasts, you might be interested in listening to the podcast found in the link below. This is from a new University of Arkansas podcast site that is sponsored by the Southern Region Small Fruit Consortium, the same group that funds much of the training of county…
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Downy Mildew Alert

Jun 10, 2020 | Written by

Today, I observed downy mildew for the first time this year. It was on Lenoir vines in west Georgia, and this indicates that producers should be scouting for it throughout the state. In addition, if you have not already done so, I would consider incorporating highly efficacious materials such as…
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Powdery Mildew Alert

Jun 8, 2020 | Written by

Powdery mildew is just starting to show up on untreated plants in the research vineyard at Blairsville, GA. The photograph below was taken today, but infections likely started occurring some time ago. I hope you will not see it yet in well managed vineyards, but recent rains and other difficulties…
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