In the State of São Paulo, Brazil, there are two isolates of Grapevine virus B (GVB) associated with grapevine corky bark disease (GCB). Although serologically similar, they induce distinct reaction on some grape varieties. They are called GVB-C for common isolate and GVB-I for isolate obtained from the variety Italia. The objective of this work was to verify the transmission of both GVB isolates from infected to healthy plants by the mealybug Pseudococcus longispinus. The transmission of the virus was determined by visual analysis of symptoms, ELISA and RT-PCR. In all transmission experiments, grape indicator plants that had been exposed to presumably viruliferous mealybugs reacted in 8-12 months with a typical symptoms of GCB. Healthy LN-33 plants, maintained around one GCB-C affected LN-33 plant, highly infested by the mealybug, became infected with incidence of 54.2% after four years. Experimental inoculation of healthy LN-33 plants with viruliferous mealybugs resulted in infection rates of 46.2% for GVB-C and 40.0% for GVB-I, after three years. Although P. longispinus occurs eventually in São Paulo State vineyards, preventive control measures for this insect must be taken on areas where healthy clones of scion and rootstock varieties are maintained.
grapevine corky bark; mealybug vector; virus; GVB; ELISA; RT-PCR