Impact of the "Flavescence Dorée" Phytoplasma on Xylem Growth and Anatomical Characteristics in Trunks of 'Chardonnay' Grapevines (Vitis vinifera).

Flavescence dorée (FD) is a grapevine disease caused by 'Candidatus Phytoplasma vitis' (FDp), which is epidemically transmitted by the Nearctic leafhopper Scaphoideus titanus. In this study, we applied dendrochronological techniques to analyse the response to FDp infections in terms of wood ring widths and anatomical structures of the xylem and phloem tissues of the trunk of the susceptible grapevine cultivar 'Chardonnay.' As a rule, grapevines are susceptible to water shortage and reduce their growth in diameter in case of summer drought. In the season of the external expression of FD symptoms, however, the ring width reductions are extreme and supersede any drought-induced effects. In addition, the anatomy of the phloem tissue in the year of the FD symptom expression appears heavily disarranged. Moreover, in the most suffering individuals, the xylem formation remains incomplete and mostly limited to the early wood tissue. In conclusion, even though the FD phytoplasma does not inhabit and replicate inside the xylem tissue, our results confirm existing indirect inhibiting effects on the ring growth and the xylem tissue formation in FDp-infected grapevines.

Spatial Distribution and Sampling Plans for Grapevine Plant Canopy-Inhabiting Scaphoideus titanus (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) Nymphs.

The paper deals with the study of the spatial distribution and the design of sampling plans for estimating nymph densities of the grape leafhopper Scaphoideus titanus Ball in vine plant canopies. In a reference vineyard sampled for model parameterization, leaf samples were repeatedly taken according to a multistage, stratified, random sampling procedure, and data were subjected to an ANOVA. There were no significant differences in density neither among the strata within the vineyard nor between the two strata with basal and apical leaves. The significant differences between densities on trunk and productive shoots led to the adoption of two-stage (leaves and plants) and three-stage (leaves, shoots, and plants) sampling plans for trunk shoots- and productive shoots-inhabiting individuals, respectively. The mean crowding to mean relationship used to analyze the nymphs spatial distribution revealed aggregated distributions. In both the enumerative and the sequential enumerative sampling plans, the number of leaves of trunk shoots, and of leaves and shoots of productive shoots, was kept constant while the number of plants varied. In additional vineyards data were collected and used to test the applicability of the distribution model and the sampling plans. The tests confirmed the applicability 1) of the mean crowding to mean regression model on the plant and leaf stages for representing trunk shoot-inhabiting distributions, and on the plant, shoot, and leaf stages for productive shoot-inhabiting nymphs, 2) of the enumerative sampling plan, and 3) of the sequential enumerative sampling plan. In general, sequential enumerative sampling was more cost efficient than enumerative sampling.

Gnomoniopsis smithogilvyi causes chestnut canker symptoms in Castanea sativa shoots in Switzerland.

A screening of Castanea sativa scions for grafting for the presence of endophytes showed that the opportunistic fungal pathogen Gnomoniopsis smithogilvyi was the most abundant member of the endophytic flora. This fungus is known as a pathogen affecting chestnut fruits in Italy and Australia. Here, we present evidence that it causes cankers very similar to the ones due to Cryphonectria parasitica infection on twigs and scions of chestnut trees. We found natural infections of G. smithogilvyi in healthy grafted plants as well as in scions from chestnut trees. The identity of the fungus isolated from asymptomatic tissues was verified by applying Koch's postulates and corroborated by DNA sequencing of four different gene regions. In contrast to C. parasitica that appears on the bark as yellow to orange pycnidia, stromata and slimy twisted tendrils, G. smithogilvyi forms orange to red and black pycnidia, gray stromata and cream-colored to beige slimy twisted tendrils on the bark. These Swiss strains are closely related to G. smithogilvyi strains from Australia and from New Zealand, Gnomoniopsis sp. and Gnomoniopsis castanea from New Zealand, Italy, France and Switzerland. While the strains from Ticino are genetically very close to G. smithogilvyi and G. castanea from Italy, the differences between the strains from Ticino and Geneva suggest two different origins. The present study supports the hypothesis that a single species named G. smithogilvyi, which is known to be the agent of chestnut rot, also causes wood cankers on chestnut.

Molecular, proteomic and morphological characterization of the ascomycete Guignardia bidwellii, agent of grape black rot: a polyphasic approach to fungal identification.

Guignardia bidwellii is the etiological agent of grape black rot, a disease affecting Vitis and other Vitaceae that can cause heavy crop losses in vineyards. Its identification is based mainly on morphological characters and the symptoms on plants but, due to their variability, they may be difficult to interpret to reliably distinguish the pathogen to species. To date, despite the economic importance of G. bidwellii, no molecular investigations have been carried out on Vitis isolates and few sequence data are available for cultures derived from ornamental host plants. We analyzed samples of G. bidwellii collected from grapevine cultivars and ornamental plants of various geographic origins by morphological, molecular and proteomic techniques, including ITS1-ITS2 regions and calmodulin gene sequencing, as well as matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization analysis by time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). This polyphasic approach allowed assessing the phylogenetic relationships among the different isolates and suggested the existence of two distinct species. The advantages of a polyphasic approach for the identification of G. bidwellii are highlighted.

Towards an improved understanding of the dynamics of vineyard-infesting Scaphoideus titanus leafhopper populations for better timing of management activities.

BACKGROUND: This paper deals with supervised management of Scaphoideus titanus (Homoptera Cicadellidae) and describes a phenology model designed for improving the understanding of the within-vineyard dynamics and the timing of insect growth regulator (IGR) applications. RESULTS: The model consists of five components dealing with (a) the beginning of the post-dormancy development of overwintering eggs, (b) the egg hatching patterns, (c) the duration of first-instar nymphs, (d) the development and survival of subsequent instars and (e) the stochastic development of cohorts and their passage into the adult stage. Laboratory data permitted the parameterisation of temperature-dependent development and survival functions. Field data consisting mainly of beating tray catches allowed model parameterisation and validation. The model satisfactorily predicts the dynamics of age structures, the beginning as well as the pattern of egg hatching, the occurrence of the third instar and the emergence of adults. CONCLUSION: The phenology model is useful for timing IGR applications and for setting up monitoring activities in supervised S. titanus control. The model is an entry point into an adaptive management system, in that real-time weather and monitoring data are continuously integrated into the model for improving its explanatory and predictive capabilities.

Microsatellite-based characterization of the Castanea sativa cultivar heritage of southern Switzerland.

Southern Switzerland has a long tradition of chestnut cultivation as a staple food. Local inhabitants constantly selected varieties according to the ripening period, the type of use, and the adaptability to the territory. As a result, the panorama of chestnut varieties is very complex, as reflected by more than 120 different variety names in an area of 26,000 ha. Since 1994, 47 varieties have been conserved in the chestnut germplasm of southern Switzerland (CSS), including Marroni, Euro-Japanese, and French varieties. A selection of 164 individuals from the CSS was analysed by 8 SSR markers (4 of which were developed in this study). Microsatellite analysis indicated that the CSS was accurately established, as 86% of the individuals grafted were correctly labeled. The identification of 98 genotypes, 10 clonal chestnut groups, 4 synonym groups, and 12 homonym groups reflected the complex ethnogeographical structure of the chestnut distribution. The 17 Marroni individuals considered clustered in 2 differentiated genetic groups instead of only 1 as expected. The fundamental problem of the frequent cases of homonymy and synonymy is discussed, as is the need for criteria for discriminating between polyclonal varieties and distinct homonymous varieties.