Native Plants

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Tuesday - July 07, 2015

From: Clarksburg, WV
Region: Mid-Atlantic
Topic: Diseases and Disorders, Vines
Title: Red, puffy growths on Concord grape vine
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

I have a growth on my grapevine that is red and puffy almost looks like it is full of water. It is a Concord grapevine. I have images I can send to you! It is on the stems.

ANSWER:

This sounds like galls caused by the Grape Tumid Gallmaker midge, Janetiella brevicauda. Another name for this insect is Vitisiella brevicauda. There is some controversy about which name to use—see the information from BugTracks. [The Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) recognizes Janetiella brevicauda as a valid name. It does not recognize Vitisiella brevicauda at all.] New York State Integrated Pest Management from Cornell University has an extensive artice on Grape Tumid Gallmaker including its control, although they say:

"In heavy infestations, the galling may reduce vine vigor and can cause shoot breakage, but in most instances, galling is of little economic importance. Galling on flower clusters, however, can result in poorly shaped fruit clusters or the complete loss of clusters."