Abstract
The yielding capacity of grapevine growth and the quality of the resulting product heavily depend on the health of the cultivated plants. The phytopathogens affecting the vineyards can cause a significant reduction in the yield and quality of the product. For this reason, it is extremely important to use diagnostic methods that make it possible to identify the pathogens, and to choose the correct method of plant protection. This review considers the main viral grapevine pathogens, and the existing methods of their diagnosis. The limitations of conventional diagnostic methods that are based either on the visual assessment of symptoms, or on bio-testing, are analyzed. A major focus is placed on two intensively developed approaches of diagnosis, molecular genetic and immunochemical methods. Applications of amplification techniques and DNA chips are presented, as well as opportunities for next-generation sequencing. A reduction of assay duration and labor intensity in combination with the assay shifts from specialized laboratories toward the places of sampling are considered as the main factors influencing the development of immunodiagnostic techniques. The potential place of diagnostic tests in vine-growing practices, and the requirements for their most efficient applications for early disease diagnosis is also discussed.
Highlights
Grapevine is an agricultural crop of major economic influence worldwide
When purified grapevine virus preparations are used as immunogens, they often result in low concentrations, and an inadequate affinity of produced antibodies [42]
Nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) underlies several protocols for the detection of Nepovirus genus viruses, and these techniques make the diagnosis possible, with the sensitivity being several times higher than that of RT-PCR [103]. This method was used for studying the genetic diversity of Grapevine leafroll-associated virus 1 (GLRaV-1), Grapevine leafroll-associated virus 3 (GLRaV-3), and GFLV [77,104,105]
Summary
Grapevine is an agricultural crop of major economic influence worldwide. It is noted [1] that the grape market is one of the most dynamic and fast-growing agricultural markets in recent years. Disease symptoms caused by pathogenic grapevine viruses vary widely including reduced growth and development of the plant, leaf spotting, chlorosis, necrosis, streaking and ring-shaped spots on the leaves, leaf curling, leaf discoloration (yellowing or reddening), wrinkling, pitting or grooving of wood and swelling at the grafting site [7]. Viral infections start to have an adverse effect on the physiological activity of a grapevine long before the first symptoms appear This means that the pathogens interfere directly with the plant’s metabolism, causing a significant decline of photosynthesis in the leaves, and decreases in stomatal conductance and transpiration rate, as well as changes in the pigment concentration [12]. Clearing of secondary or tertiary veins on young leaves; mosaic and mottling on mature leaves; zigzagged and short internodes on a young shoot; brownish, deformed, irregularly shaped and small berries
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