news and research about Pierce's Disease

What is Pierce's Disease?

Pierce’s Disease is a bacterial infection, which is spread by bugs that feed on grapevines, particularly the "glassy winged sharpshooter." Grapevines that become infected with PD can quickly become sick and die.

Rupestris stem pitting associated virus-1 is consistently detected in grapevines that are infected with rupestris stem pitting

  • Author(s): Meng, Baozhong; Johnson, Ray; Peressini, Silvano; Forsline, Philip; Gonsalves, Dennis;
  • Abstract: Rupestris stem pitting (RSP) appears to be the most widespread disease of the rugose wood complex of grapevines. In previous work we showed that rupestris stem pitting associated virus-1 (RSPaV-1), an agent that has similarities in genome structure to apple stem pitting virus is associated with RSP (Meng et al., 1997, 1998). To validate the association of RSPaV-1 with RSP, grapevines that had been indexed on the RSP indicator St. George (Vitis rupestris Scheele) were collected from four major grape-growing countries and tested for RSPaV-1 by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay. Depending on the sets of primers used, we detected RSPaV-1-specific sequences from 85% to nearly 100% of the grapevines that had indexed positive for RSP. These data further demonstrate that RSPaV-1 is closely associated with, and likely to be the causal agent of RSP. We have also shown that RT-PCR is a fast and reliable alternative to biological indexing for the diagnosis of RSP.
  • Publication Date: Feb 1999
  • Journal: European Journal Of Plant Pathology
  • Direct Link: http://www.springerlink.com/index/M032206542842...