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UGA Extension Viticulture Blog

Phil Brannen

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.

  • Ripe Rot Disease Survey

    Phil Brannen

    I know it is Christmas, but if you can take a few minutes (literally about five at max) to fill out this short survey (see link below), it would be be greatly appreciated. We are conducting this survey as part of a grant application, and if we do receive funds, we hope to research the…

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  • MyIPM Promotional Video

    Phil Brannen

    The MyIPM app, developed by multiple universities under the direction of Dr. Guido Schnabel from Clemson University and supported by the Southern Region Small Fruit Consortium, now has a section on bunch grapes. You can readily download this app and use it for identifying diseases, developing spray programs, etc., so it is a very handy…

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  • Florida Muscadine Meeting Presentations

    Phil Brannen

    For those of you who grow muscadines, you might want to review this meeting site. Several muscadine specialists were involved in the meeting, including yours truly, and it provides a good review of the state of the art relative this commodity. Florida muscadine meeting link: https://hos.ifas.ufl.edu/grape/resources/

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  • Newly formed Georgia Agriculture Commodity Commission for Wine and Grapes

    Phil Brannen

    I hope you will get this information in a variety of ways. John Scaduto (Rabun County Agent) sent this out this morning, so I am simply copying and pasting his information for this blog. “In case you were not aware of it, I wanted to forward this information about the newly established Georgia Agriculture Commodity…

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  • New UGA Sour Rot Fact Sheet

    Phil Brannen

    The attached fact sheet was authored by Annie Vogel, a recent graduate student in the Horticulture Department at the University of Georgia. It is a great synopsis of our current knowledge of sour rot, which continues to be a difficult disease to address in our climate. It is well written and informative.

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  • Powdery Mildew Resistance Survey

    Phil Brannen

    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 Department, Brooke Warres, is working…

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  • End-of-season grape disease levels on Pierce’s disease resistant Camminare Noir and selection 07370-84 cultivars

    Phil Brannen

    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 grapes in the presence of…

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  • North Carolina 2020 Grape Harvest Webinar Online

    Phil Brannen

    Mark Hoffman (North Carolina State) has developed another webinar that may be of interest to many of you. Please see the link below to find this webinar and related PowerPoints. Enjoy. Link to the webinar: https://grapes.ces.ncsu.edu/grape-diary/webinars-2020/#Harvest

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  • Muscadine Disease Presentation

    Phil Brannen

    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 there is a helpful question…

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  • Pierce’s Disease Training

    Phil Brannen

    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 the Southeast. Symptoms normally show…

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