Performance of Hungarian phylloxera strains on Vitis riparia rootstocks

Abstract: Vitis riparia and other rootstocks were used in excised root- and plantlet culture-bioassays to test the performance of Hungarian colonies of phylloxera. Phylloxera colonies from America and Germany were used as comparisons. The Hungarian colonies had a higher level of performance on V. riparia in contrast with the American and German colonies. Plantlet assays found the performance of a Hungarian strain on V. riparia equivalent to that on Vitis vinifera , AXR#1 and 41B root types. In contrast, the American colonies did not survive on V. riparia . Collections of Hungarian gallicole colonies from cultivated and escaped rootstock leaves were assayed using excised roots of the rootstock Teleki 5C. Results indicated that performance of phylloxera collected from feral rootstocks was higher than performance of colonies collected from cultivated rootstock leaves. Lastly, when the attached roots of field-grown V. riparia vines were damaged by girdling, phylloxera performance was much higher than on undamaged roots, suggesting cultural conditions can increase the risk of related vine damage. These laboratory and field results show that V. riparia is capable of supporting phylloxera on its roots. Escaped, feral vines may select for phylloxera with increased virulence on roots. This is of significance in regions such as Hungary where feral rootstock is common.