Assessment of symptoms of grapevine leafroll disease and relationship with yield and quality of pinot noir grape must in a 10-year study period

Abstract

Grapevine leafroll disease (GLD) is caused by one or more of the Grapevine leafroll-associated viruses (GLRaVs). GLD’s symptoms are expected to be evident in indicator cultivars, regardless of the GLRaV(s) involved. In the present study, disease incidence (I) and severity (S), symptoms before veraison (Sy < V), a disease severity index (DSI) and an earliness index (EI) (2013–2022) were recorded in order to examine the factors affecting the evolution of GLD in Pinot noir graft inoculated with scions infected with GLRaV-3 that, in origin, showed a diversity of GLD symptoms. Strong correlations between I and S (r = 0.94) and between Sy < V and EI (r = 0.94) were observed; early symptoms proved good predictors of incidence and severity after veraison and of yield and sugar content of the must. The environmental conditions and time after infection did not modify the wide range of symptoms (I: 0–81.5%; S: 0.1–4) that corresponded with the variation in losses (<0–88% for yield and <0–24% for sugar content). With all other factors being constant, the significant differences between plants were mainly due to the GLRaVs present. Plants infected with some GLRaV-3 isolates always had mild symptoms or remained asymptomatic 10 years after grafting but remained a source of infection for GLRaV vectors.