Importance of the vegetative stage for phytoplasma detection in yellow-diseased grapevines

Research NoteThe influence of the vegetative stage on the detection of phytoplasmas (=MLOs) in different grapevine tissues during six phenological stages is reported. From the beginning of the annual growth cycle of the plants it is possible to detect phytoplasmas in infected vines using purified DNA from leaves and shoots in slot blot hybridization. The hybridization signal is stronger in later stages reaching the highest intensity with leaf tissue at berry ripening. The detection is possible with cortical scrapings from mature canes. This opens an interesting possibility for massive screening of propagative material for certification purposes