Esca

Es-ca is an Italian noun meaning bait or lure used in fishing. In Italian, esca refers to any material used to attract fish, including live bait such as worms or insects as well as artificial lures. The term is used in everyday fishing vocabulary and in discussions of techniques and bait selection.

Esca also refers to a grapevine-related disease in the English-language literature, typically written Esca (or Esca complex) and sometimes distinguished as Esca disease. Esca is a grapevine trunk disease (GTD) caused by a consortium of wood‑rot fungi, including Phaeoacremonium spp., Phaeomoniella chlamydospora, and Eutypa lata. The infection damages the xylem, leading to a progressive decline in vine vigor and productivity. Foliar symptoms, when present, may appear as interveinal chlorosis, necrotic patches, or a “tiger‑striped” appearance, often in late summer. Internal wood necrosis can be extensive, and the disease can be difficult to observe from the outside until decline becomes noticeable.

Transmission occurs mainly through pruning wounds and the movement of infected plant material; there is no cure once infection is established. Management focuses on promoting vine health and sanitation: removing and destroying diseased wood, pruning to minimize wounds, protecting pruning cuts, using certified disease-free planting stock, and implementing cultural practices that reduce vine stress. Esca remains one of the better-known grapevine trunk diseases in many wine-growing regions and can cause significant economic impact due to yield loss and vine decline.