Charlotte Oliver

I am Charlotte Oliver, a PhD candidate in the final year of my program. I received my Bachelors of Science from Virginia Tech in 2012. In the following fall, I began my Masters of Science with Dr. Mizuho Nita here at the Alson H. Smith Jr. AREC. I defended my MS in June 2015 and continued on in my PhD program. Originally, my Masters focus was on elucidating the infection conditions of the cluster rot pathogens Colletotrichum fioriniae and C. siamense, two of the causal agents of wine grape ripe rot. The questions that came from my thesis formed the background for my current dissertation work.           

My research has four foci: i) survey and use DNA sequencing to identify which Colletotrichum species are present in Virginia vineyards, ii) screen the fifteen fungicides available to vineyard managers for ripe rot control, both in the lab and in the vineyard, iii) microscopically observe the fungal infection process to observe optimum wine grape growth stages for infection, iv) infect non-cluster tissues to identify additional sites of fungal infection. Little is known about Colletotrichum species on wine grape. This has led to multiple vineyards across the state losing up to 35% of their crop to these fungi. Additionally, wine flavor studies have shown that when infected grapes are fermented, they taint the wine with unwanted bitter flavors. The goal of this research is to provide growers a plan to manage ripe rot in their vineyards with as few fungicide applications as possible by focusing on protecting sensitive growth stages with robust fungicide combinations.