Much time and effort has been invested over the years by Agriculture Victoria research staff trying to find effective footbath solutions to kill grape phylloxera. Coca cola, Epsom salts, coffee, cayenne pepper, vinegar and mineral turpentine have all been trialed.
These studies have determined that there are five vital aspects to ensuring efficacy of the footbath:
- The active ingredient
- The concentration of the active ingredient
- The surface of the item to be disinfested is clean of soil and plant material prior to the disinfestation treatment
- The duration of the disinfestation
- Ensuring no water rinse is undertaken after the disinfestation
Through scientific studies, there are still only a handful of active ingredients that have demonstrated efficacy against a range of phylloxera strains. These are:
OPTION 1: BLEACH DILUTED
- Active ingredient of 40g/L (minimum) of sodium hypochlorite
- This active is sold commercially as bleach under various brand names including White King, Premium Bleach
- Dilution: use in the same volume to water (as 1:1 dilution)
- Disinfestation time: 60 seconds
- Pack size: up to 2.5L
OPTION 2: BLEACH UNDILUTED
- Active ingredient of 40g/L (minimum) of sodium hypochlorite
- Dilution: use undiluted
- Disinfestation time: 30 seconds
- Pack size: up to 2.5L
OPTION 3: METHS
- Active ingredient of 95% ethyl alcohol
- This active is sold commercially as methylated spirits
- Dilution: use undiluted
- Disinfestation time: 30 seconds
- Caution: flammable
- Pack size: up to 20L
OPTION 4: DETTOL
- Active ingredient of 4.8% chloroxylenol
- This active is sold commercially as Dettol antiseptic
- Dilution: use undiluted
- Disinfestation time: 60 seconds
- Caution: flammable
- Pack size: up to 2L (note we have contacted the manufacturer to query availability of larger pack sizes, but to no avail)
Tips for footbath use
- Calculate total liquid volume required in your footbath before shopping to work out volume of active ingredient you need to purchase
- Check the expiry date of the product
- Take steps to minimise degradation of the active ingredient to ensure efficacy of the solution:
- Conduct cleaning step prior to disinfesting to ensure surfaces are clean of all soil and plant material
- Place the footbath in the shade, under cover, and/or cover with a lid when not in use to minimise breakdown of the active by sunlight
- Change at least daily
- Set up multiple footbath stations (as two step cleaning then disinfestation) for large groups to minimise waiting time
- Manage traffic flow of people using the footbath. Set up your disinfestation station to ensure flow in from the washing station to the disinfecting station to the vineyard. Then from the vineyard to the washing station to the disinfecting station and out, avoiding ground walked on prior to disinfestation. Refer to the diagram in Vinehealth’s Footwear and Small Hand Tool Disinfestation Protocol
- Dispose of disinfectant solution away from vines and trafficked areas