The two photo manuals for the Identification of Diseases and Pests, and the Identification of Weeds.
Anyone working with wine grape vineyards would benefit from two user-friendly photo manuals for identifying weeds, as well as pests and diseases that are frequently found in the vineyard. Vinpro collaborated with the crop protection company Villa to make these two valuable resources available to the industry.
The Photo Manual for the Identification of Diseases and Pests includes 83 photos of harmful and beneficial above- and below -ground insects, as well as a variety of fungi, bacteria, viruses and other diseases such as Aster Yellows.
The Photo Manual for the Identification of Weeds includes 71 photos of perennial and annual broad-leaved and narrow-leaved weeds, as well as general guidelines for the responsible use of herbicides. All captions are in Afrikaans and English, and the photos are published with the necessary recognition to a number of contributors from the wine industry.
Jeff Joubert, compiler of the manuals and well-known viticulturist in the South African wine industry, started the initiative as a way of ploughing back his expertise after 45 years in the industry.
“While working as the Vinpro consultant in the Olifants River region, I started presenting a course in vineyard diseases and pests to the vineyard workers in the area in collaboration with the Vineyard Academy,” says Jeff. “However, I realised that it is difficult for semi- and unskilled people to memorise all the symptoms of the pests and diseases.”
Jeff Joubert, well-known viticulturist in the South African wine industry, initiated and compiled the two manuals to plough back his 45 years of expertise into the industry.
Thanks to the benevolence of Chris Basson from Nashua Vredendal, every course participant was able to receive the colour photos for free in A4 format. This manual has formed part of the basis for Vinpro’s vineyard training courses over the past few years. However, the A4 format was not as user-friendly to work with, and as such Dr André Schreuder, former CEO of Villa at the time, agreed to have the guide for pests and diseases printed in its new A5 format.
“Some of Vinpro’s vineyard training modules, including the soil management module, refer to the respective weeds, and from my experience over the years I have observed that there is a lack of knowledge about weeds. It was therefore a logical extension to also publish photos of the weeds that occur in vineyards in the same format, in collaboration with Villa,” says Jeff.
“Villa is proud to be involved in sponsoring publications like this,” says Marius Boshoff, Villa’s marketing manager. “We strive to support initiatives in the plant health industry, and this booklet is one of them. Vinpro provides an important service to producers in the wine industry. These easy reference guides for weeds and pests and diseases help support and educate producers and their employees.”
The two photo manuals are provided in their printed format free of charge to all attendees of Vinpro’s annual vineyard training courses. “The manuals certainly add great value to our training modules, and are a useful guide for students and people who work in the vineyard on a daily basis to keep on hand,” says Hanno van Schalkwyk, Vinpro viticulturist and coordinator of the Vinpro vineyard training.
However, the manuals are now also available free of charge to the wider industry on request in printed format, or can be downloaded directly from the links below.
Photo Guide for the Identification of Diseases and Pests
Photo Guide for the Identification of Weeds
Contact Hanno van Schalkwyk on tel 021 276 0429 or e-mail hanno@vinpro.co.za for any enqueries or to obtain a free printed copy.
