Original Article The Behaviour of Vine Varieties to Downy Mildew Attack (Plasmopara Viticola Berk & Curt) in Ampelographic Collection in the Conditions of USAMV Cluj - Napoca SUCIU Loredana, Carmen PUIA, Vasile FLORIAN, Raluca MICLEA Claudiu-Ioan BUNEA* 1 University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj - Napoca, Mănăştur St., No. 3 - 5, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania Received 29 September 2012; received and revised form 5 October 2 012; accepted 23 October 2012 Available online 5 December 2012 Abstract Viticulture is an agriculture intensive industry branch, characterized by a high recovery coefficient of the land. Grapes can be consumed in fresh condition and also they are the raw material for the obtaining of wines, sparkling wines and distillates from wine, alcoholic beverages with the significant share in consumption. Downy mildew was and shall remain one of the major diseases present in vineyards producing significant damage. Attack frequency and intensity are influenced by the source of the inoculum, the climatic conditions and the sensitivity or resistance of crop varieties taken in culture. The aim of this paper is the study of the behavior of some table grapes and wine from the didactic and experimental collection of the U. A. S. V. M. Cluj-Napoca at the attack of downy mildew - Plasmopara viticola (Berk & Curt), in the climatic conditions of year 2011 Keywords: Vitis vinifera, Plasmopara viticola, downy mildew, attack degree 1.Introduction As a branch of agricultural production, viticulture has a well-defined place in the national economy, whose importance can be appreciated from several points of view: socially - as an improvement in food and as a means of making a living, economically – recovers the lands unsuitable for other crops, provides raw material for the development of other branches of production, stimulates the development of other branches, contribute to shape the environment, etc. [6]. * Corresponding author. Tel.: 0040264596384; Fax: 0040263593792 e-mail: claus_bunea@yahoo.com Grapes are the raw material for obtaining wines and the distillates from wine, alcoholic drinks with significant share in consumption. Annually about 1 million tons of grapes are made wine, which results in 8.7 million hectoliters of wine. Significant quantities of grapes are processed in the food industry, in the manufacture compotes, jams, marmalades, raisins, grape juice and other products [2]. Moreover, the grapes are composed of sugar, organic acids, minerals, vitamins and phytochemicals are also responsible for sensory characteristics of wine [9] and human health beneficial properties [8]. Downy mildew (Plasmopara viticola) of the wine is the most damaging disease of this crop, growing in almost all countries and in Romania Available online at www.proenvironment.ro ProEnvironment ProEnvironment 5 (2012) 221 - 226 221