Transmission ofBotrytis cinereato Grapes by Grape Berry Moth Larvae

Larvae of Lobesia botrana, the grape berry moth, increase the severity of gray mold on grapes (cv. Sauvignon). The role of larval wounds on the colonization of immature berries by Botrytis cinerea was studied with scanning electron microscopy. On vineyard berries, emergence of conidiophores is favored at the entrance of larval galleries, and fungal development is enhanced at superficial wound sites. A greenhouse trial showed that conidia were introduced inside larval galleries by larvae externally contaminated by the fungus. The germination of conidia and resulting mycelial colonization followed on the inner surfaces of galleries []