The disease of grapevines known as excoriose has been the source of a certain amount of controversy.
Much of this concerns the identity of the causal agent and this has been further confounded by the taxonomic problems
of the fungal pathogens associated with this disease. Many of these problems have now been resolved and it is
clear that excoriose is caused by Botryosphaeria dothidea while cane blight and leaf spot is caused by Phomopsis
viticola. However, although at least five different species of Phomopsis are currently known to be associated with
grapevines, only P. viticola causes cane blight and leaf spot. The role played by the other species of fungi is not clear,
but they may be weak pathogens, saprophytes or endophytes