Analyses of Xylem Vessel Size on Grapevine Cultivars and Relationship with Incidence of Esca Disease, a Threat to Grape Quality

Featured Application This work provides a reference support to further test the hypothesis that Vitis vinifera cultivars with wide xylem vessels may be more susceptible to esca disease and opens the way to alternative cultural practices and disease management strategies. Esca disease is one of the most important grapevine trunk diseases. It seriously reduces the quality and quantity of grapevine production, and results in a shorter vineyard lifespan. Previous studies have suggested that wide xylem vessel diameter favours development on grapevine of Phaeomoniella chlamydospora, one of the fungi involved in esca, thus affecting disease susceptibility. In this study, cultivars mainly originated from European countries, 27 white-berried and 24 red-berried grapevine cultivars, were grown in the same experimental vineyard and were analysed for xylem vessel sizes (as diameter and frequency) for correlation with esca incidence. In this study, the cultivars showed significant differences in the xylem vessel parameters. However, no relationship was detected between vessel size and esca incidence in the field. Overall, white-berried cultivars showed wider vessel diameters than red-berried cultivars. The relationship between xylem vessel size in the red-berried and white-berried cultivars and incidence of esca symptoms is discussed. We suggest that vessel anatomy profiles can provide useful information for further investigations on grapevine genotype structure-esca incidence relationships.

Automated summary

This study examines the relationship between xylem vessel diameter and esca disease incidence in grapevines. Different cultivars showed significant differences in xylem vessel parameters, but no correlation was found between vessel size and disease incidence in the field.