Clone selection of autochtones and introduced varieties in the old grapevine planted areas of south eastern and eastern Serbia and preliminary check of their health status

Abstract

Clone and sanitary selection of the grapevine has a fundamental importance in improving the quality and the quantity of the grape production in Serbia. In order to preserve the varieties of the old vineyards, the clone and sanitary selection has begun in 2006 in the South Eastern Serbia vineyard areas, 1048 grapevine plants have been examined in three distant vineyards and 60 grapevine plants have been separated that deserved attention based on their production characteristics. The selected plants have been tested serologically, with the ELISA method, to the presence of 4 grapevine viruses: Grapevine leaf roll-associated virus 1, Grapevine leaf roll-associated virus 2 and Grapevine leaf roll-associated virus 3 (GLRaV- 1, GLRaV-2 and GLRaV-3), and grapevine fun leaf virus- GFLV. The infection level of the selected plants was between 10.5% (vineyard III) and 22.2% (vineyard II). We eliminated the infected plants among the selected ones and analyzed only the healthy ones in the 2008. Various potential variety clones have been selected for Prokupac, Pamid, Dimyat, Sauvignon blanc, Rosaki, Chasselas, Semillon, Detier de Bayreuth and Riesling. In 2008 we have repeated the same procedure we did in 2006 but in a different region - the Eastern Serbia area on the autochthonous variety of Muscat des roses noir on 400 grapevine plants 40 potential clones have been selected. The goal of this paper was check out the health status to preserve the autochthonous and introduced varieties of the eastern and south eastern region and to renew the vineyards it?s grown in. It was necessary to go on following the selected candidate - clones for other viruses based on EPPO PM 4/1-26 certification scheme in order to identify the virus-free clones to multiply, conserve and maintain in the collection growing areas.