Molecular characterization of phylloxera present in Argentinean vineyards

CECILIA AGÜERO; LILIANA MARTINEZ; CELESTE ARANCIBIA; RODRIGO ALONSO; FERNANDO BUSCEMA; K. LUND; S. RIAZ; A. WALKER

La serena

Simposio; IX International Symposium on Grapevine Physiology and Biotechnology; 2013

Instituto de Investigaciones Agropecuarias (Chile) y Centro de Estudios Avanzados en Zonas Áridas (Chile)

Phylloxera is among the most harmful grapevine pests worldwide. It is caused by the aphid Daktulosphaira vitifoliae Fitch, which feeds on roots and leaves of many susceptible species of the genus Vitis. A high percentage of the Argentinean vineyards are planted with susceptible V. vinifera varieties and phylloxera attack occurs only in the roots. Although this pest currently is not producing major economic damages, changes in agricultural practices could cause problems in the future. The aim of this study was to characterize molecularly, the phylloxera present in the main winegrowing regions of Argentina and compare them with reference genotypes found in California. Twenty-one samples were collected from infected roots of vineyards planted with different varieties of Vitis vinifera L, located in Mendoza and San Juan provinces. The DNA of the phylloxera was extracted using the Chelex method and amplified using 26 microsatellite markers. The results showed two different profiles. The most abundant genotype was found in most of the regions sampled and matched the reference ?UC-Davis Chardonnay? for 61% of the microsatellites. The second genotype matched reference ?AxR1-Mendocino? for 71% of the markers and was found only in the North West of Mendoza. While we found a similarity with aggressive strains of California, this is not enough to affirm that the genotypes present in the areas sampled display the same level of aggressiveness. Therefore, further studies are required to characterize local strains and evaluate the use of pest-resistant rootstocks in new plantations.