Abstract
Among grapevine yellows phytoplasma diseases in Europe, flavescence doree (FD) is the most devastating and in the last decade has reached Spanish vineyards, mainly in Catalonia. An eight-year survey was carried out in the areas where the disease has spread (Alt Emporda, Catalonia, Northern Spain) and in the remaining vine-growing areas of Catalonia. Sequence analyses of a portion of the 16S-23S ribosomal DNA cistron, from selected grapevine samples from Catalonia, showed that the phytoplasmas involved in grapevine yellows belong to 16S ribosomal subgroups V-D (flavescence doree, FD) and XII-A (bois noir, BN). A set of Spanish FD isolates collected during these years were further studied by RFLP analyses of the 16S-23S ribosomal DNA fragment, as well as the rpS3 and SecY genes. All the FD phytoplasma strains studied were related to phytoplasmas belonging to ribosomal protein subgroup rp-E.
Highlights
Two phytoplasmas associated with diseases in cultivated grapevines, flavescence dorée (FD) and bois noir (BN), were reported in recent years in Spain (Abad & al., 1998; Batlle & al., 1997, 2000; Laviña & al., 1996)
During the monitoring of phytoplasma presence in the Catalonian provinces at risk (Barcelona, Gerona, Lérida and Tarragona), only grapevines at Alt Empordà (Gerona) were positive for disease caused by phytoplasmas from the 16SrV-D/elm yellows subgroup
No phytoplasmas belonging to this group were detected in the grapevines of the remaining plots of Gerona and of the other three Catalonian provinces where only phytoplasmas belonging to the 16SrXII-A/stolbur subgroup (Bois noir disease) were identified
Summary
Two phytoplasmas associated with diseases in cultivated grapevines, flavescence dorée (FD) and bois noir (BN), were reported in recent years in Spain (Abad & al., 1998; Batlle & al., 1997, 2000; Laviña & al., 1996). The former is classified in the 16SrV group and the latter in the 16SrXII-A/stolbur group. FD is the most aggressive phytoplasma among those associated with grapevine diseases, and is subject to quarantine restrictions Genetic relatedness of this pathogen, revealed by 16Sr DNA analyses, showed that two different ribosomal subgroups (16SrV-C, known as FD-C, and 16SrV-D, known as FD-D) are associated with outbreaks in Italy and both are transmitted by the vine leafhopper insect Scaphoideus titanus Ball (Bertaccini & al., 1997; Martini & al., 1999; Mori & al., 2002). In recent years outbreaks associated with FD-D type phytoplasmas were observed in several regions of Northern Italy and in France (Angelini & al., 2001; Bertaccini, 2002; Boudon-Padieu, 2003)
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