Abstract
To date, phytoplasmas belonging to six ribosomal subgroups have been detected to infect grapevines in Chile in 36 percent of the sampled plants. A new survey on the presence of grapevine yellows was carried out from 2016 to 2020, and 330 grapevine plants from the most important wine regions of the country were sampled and analyzed by nested PCR/RFLP analyses. Phytoplasmas enclosed in subgroups 16SrIII-J and 16SrVII-A were identified with infection rates of 17% and 2%, respectively. The vineyards in which the phytoplasma-infected plants were detected were further inspected to identify alternative host plants and insects of potential epidemiological relevance. Five previously unreported plant species resulted positive for 16SrIII-J phytoplasma (Rosa spp., Brassica rapa, Erodium spp., Malva spp. and Rubus ulmifolius) and five insect species were fully or partially identified (Amplicephalus ornatus, A. pallidus, A. curtulus, Bergallia sp., Exitianus obscurinervis) as potential vectors of 16SrIII-J phytoplasmas. The 16SrVII-A phytoplasmas were not detected in non-grape plant species nor in insects. This work establishes updated guidelines for the study, management, and prevention of grapevine yellows in Chile, and in other grapevine growing regions of South America.
Highlights
Viticulture is one of the most important agricultural activities of Chile, where the export of wine and the socio-cultural component are its main characteristics
The sampling of shoots and leaves was performed from 330 grapevine plants and 80 different plant species from 2016 to 2020
RRNA gene and of ItSSu12pFn/ItSSu12pR2n (820 bp) that amplify the full length of the SSu12p gene and the partial sequence of the SSu7p gene were obtained by PCR and nested PCR from 63 grapevine and 19 non-grape plant species collected in the same vineyards
Summary
Viticulture is one of the most important agricultural activities of Chile, where the export of wine and the socio-cultural component are its main characteristics. The total area of vineyards for winemaking is approximately 141,000 hectares. Chile is currently the leading wine exporter of the American continent and the fourth world exporter, with a total of 966.2 million liters exported for a value of US $2066.1 in 2018 (Pizarro, 2019) [1]. The presence of phytoplasmas (grapevine yellows, GY) in vineyards in Chile has been reported since the late 1980s; the first molecular studies on their identity and distribution began. 20 years later [2,3,4]. These phytoplasmas resulted in being enclosed in six ribosomal groups. The first survey for the identification of phytoplasma in grapevine was carried out from 2002 to 2006 in Pathogens 2020, 9, 933; doi:10.3390/pathogens9110933 www.mdpi.com/journal/pathogens
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
