Certification Program Article 2

Grape Certification Programs: Use of Virus Tested Planting Material in New York State

Authors: Victoria Hoyle and Marc Fuchs | Publishing Date: 2/8/2023

Wine production in New York state alone in 2019 accounted for 54% of the grapes being produced, generating approximately $6.65 billion in revenue; however, profit margins are threatened by pests and disease. To increase financial security in the planting stocks and to ensure sustainable grape production, it is pertinent to purchase certified clean grapevines for establishing a new vineyard or for replacing infected vines. Clean planting stock refers to vines that are produced by grafting or propagation for which cuttings and budwood are derived from mother vines that are grown in isolation and have been extensively tested for undesired pathogens and shown to be clean. Use of clean grafted or own-rooted stocks is the forefront for protecting a vineyard (see article 1 to learn more about how the program works).

How does virus screening work?

In New York, contributions to grape certification are nursery focused. The G2 vines and planting stocks are produced without the presence of tomato ringspot virus, tobacco ringspot virus, grapevine fanleaf virus, grapevine red blotch virus, grapevine leafroll-associated virus -1, grapevine leafroll-associated virus -2, grapevine leafroll-associated virus -3, and grapevine leafroll-associated virus -4. For the most accurate diagnostic of a planting stock, it is important to test during both the spring and the fall. For tomato ringspot virus, tobacco ringspot virus, and grapevine fanleaf virus, testing occurs in the spring when virus titer is highest by collecting four to six new leaves at the extremity of the shoots from each vine of interest. (Figure 1) The same is completed with old leaves at the bottom of the canopy in the fall to test for grapevine red blotch virus and grapevine leafroll-associated viruses (Figure 1). Leaf samples are tested using laboratory diagnostic assays based on serological (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) or molecular (polymerase chain reaction) methodologies.

Figure 1. Foliar symptoms of the five viruses tested against, broken up into the type of tissue that is collected for testing and the time of year that virus titer is highest.

What is the economic impact of these virus diseases?

It is important to utilize certified clean planting stock even when the premium for purchasing them may initially not be an attractive price tag. This is because viruses can be economically devastating; therefore, it all seems far more financially rewarding to carefully select clean planting stock. For example, grapevine leafroll disease causes losses ranging from $12,100 to $91,623 per acre over a predicted 25-year lifespan of a vineyard or grapevine red blotch disease can cause $896 to $27,740 per acre over a predicted 25-year lifespan of a vineyard, depending on disease prevalence, level of yield reduction, price penalty for suboptimal fruit quality and the grape growing region (Atallah et al. 2012; Ricketts et al. 2015, 2017). The low and high side loss estimates associated with the other three viruses have not been calculated at this time, though all three have been determined to be of economic relevance.

Where to source clean planting stocks?

Because viruses can be economically devastating, it is important to know where to purchase clean planting stock. In New York, clean planting stocks are available at: Amberg Grapevines LLC in Clifton Springs, NY, Double A Vineyard Inc. in Fredonia, NY and Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard in Dundee, NY. However, keep in mind that these three nurseries, like any other grape nursery in the country, does not exclusively sell certified planting stocks. They produce and sell certified and conventional planting stocks. In other words, just because materials come from one of these nurseries, does not mean that it is certified. There is a selection of planting stock at each nursery, some of which is certified under article 14 (Table 1).

Table 1. Links to a comprehensive list of clean materials available at each vineyard.

Vineyard Name Vineyard Location List of certified Stock
Amberg Grapevines LLC Clifton Springs, NY http://www.amberggrapevines.com/NYSCertifiedVines.html
Double A Vineyards Inc Fredonia, NY https://doubleavineyards.com/2010-protocol-grapes-for-sale
Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard Dundee, NY https://www.wiemer.com/wp-content/uploads/Vines-Available-2023.pdf

 

Should purchase of certified materials be the only step you take?

The use of certified planting stocks is an essential step in managing a healthy vineyard, but it is important to remember that follow-up integrated disease management strategies are equally necessary to minimize the detrimental impacts of viruses. Knowledge of virus disease incidence and the potential for vector spread in the vineyard is crucial to decide which type of action should be taken. Implementation of strategies such as roguing and replanting clean material are often necessary to minimize the number of infected vines when vectors are present. For example, roguing and replanting symptomatic vines with clean vines has been found to be useful for managing grapevine leafroll-associated viruses in New York, particularly when spatial roguing, or eliminating virus-infected vines and their two immediate within-row neighbors on each side, was utilized (Hesler et al. 2022). According to economic assessments, preventive actions to ensure clean planting material is one of the most beneficial disease management strategies within the specialty crop sector (Fuchs et al. 2020). Though tedious at times, taking these actions are pivotal for the sustainability and lifespan of a vineyard. To learn more about managing these viruses in New York, check out the following links (Table 2).

Table 2. Resources for managing the five most economically devastating viruses of grapevine in New York.

Virus name Vector presence in NY vineyards Severity in NY Action items of relevance in NY Link to further management information
Tomato ringspot virus Yes Moderate Monitor soil for vector, eliminate alternative hosts, and plant clean stocks https://ecommons.cornell.edu/bitstream/handle/1813/43094/fanleaf-grapevine-FS-NYSIPM.pdf?sequence=1
Tobacco ringspot virus Yes Moderate
Grapevine fanleaf virus No N/A Planting clean stocks
Grapevine red blotch virus No Low Planting clean stocks https://ecommons.cornell.edu/bitstream/handle/1813/43123/red-blotch-FS-NYSIPM.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
Grapevine leafroll-associated viruses Yes High Monitor for vectors, rogue diseased vines, and replace with clean stocks https://ecommons.cornell.edu/bitstream/handle/1813/43103/grape-leafroll-FS-NYSIPM.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

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