Grape Phylloxera (Homoptera: Phylloxeridae) Biotypes in France

Abstract

Grape phylloxera, Daktulosphaira vitifoliae Fitch, colonies were started with eggs obtained from three grape cultivars (‘41B,’ ‘3309C,’ and ‘Ahcante Bouschet’) in three locations in France (Quissac, Camargue, and Cognac). Eggs. from. these colomes were placed on root pieces of resistant and susceptible grape rootstock cullivars in the laboratory (‘Cabernet Sauvignon,’ ‘41B,’ ‘Lot,’ and ‘3309C’), and the survivorship, developmental lime, and fecundity of grape phylloxera were measured. Colony survivorship and (to a lesser extent) fecundity were better on the cultivars from which each colony was obtained in the field, e.g., on the rootstock cultivar ‘41B,’ survivorship of colonies derived from ‘41B’ were ≥10 times better than survivorship for a colony derived from ‘3309C.’ This and other comparisons indicated that more than one grape phylloxera biotype was present. The data are consistent with, but do not prove, that these biotypes are races based on host of origin.