Assessing the Influence of Viral Infection on ‘Tribidrag’ Grapevines: Insights from Two Vegetation Seasons

Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate the response of the grapevine variety ‘Tribidrag’ to virus infection over two vegetation seasons. Virus-free plants were greenhouse cultivated and green grafted with five different virus inocula composed of grapevine leafroll-associated virus 3 (GLRaV-3) singly or in coinfection with other most economically important grapevine viruses. Changes in nutrient status and photosynthesis-related parameters, along with symptom development, were measured. Using the quantitative PCR method, the relative concentration of five selected Vitis genes was determined. Cluster analysis and ANOVA revealed the reduction in phosphorus concentration (P) and photosynthesis-related parameters in infected plants in both seasons, even in the absence of symptom expression, indicating P and assimilation rate (Photo (A)) as stable markers of virus infection. Plants infected with inoculum Y composed of five different viruses provoked major significant changes in the first season while, in the second, fewer changes were measured. The sucrose synthase 3 gene was upregulated in infected plants confirming disturbed sugar metabolism related to virus-induced stress. This study showed that virus-induced changes in ‘Tribidrag’ plants even in the absence of symptoms are dependent on plant age, as well as on the composition of virus inocula.

Keywords

• grapevine
• grapevine viruses
• ‘Tribidrag’
• phosphorus
• photosynthesis