Grapevine flavescence dorée (FD) follow up Vitisens, GRAFDEPI and Qdetect (GRAFDEPI2)

Europe is the world’s main producer and exporter of grapevine planting material and wine. This important economic sector is facing epidemic threats of at least 10 grapevine yellows diseases (GY) caused by phytoplasmas. In Europe the main phytoplasmas associated with GY are ‘Candidatus’ phytoplasma solani’ (BNp), which is a causal agent of bois noir and FDp, which causes flavescence dorée. Phytoplasmas are notoriously difficult to detect and identify and their specific detection relies exclusively on the molecular methods. Recently new methods, which are reliable, sensitive, fast, less expensive and suitable for using onsites, have been introduced. Among them is a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) method, with several advantages (e.g. low sensitivity to plant extracts inhibitors, speed, robustness, simplicity of use) over the other methods (e.g. the real-time PCR). In a recently finished FP7 project VITISENS, a new LAMP protocols have been developed for specific detection of FDp, however, they have not been tested in the interlaboratories trials. In addition, there is no validated LAMP protocol available for the specific detection of BNp at the moment. The main objectives of this Euphresco project were:

- To develop a new loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) based protocols for accurate, reliable, fast and affordable diagnostics of ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma solani’ (BNp), which will be applicable in-field; 

- To study new possible hosts plants and insect vectors of phytoplasma FDp;

- To organize an interlaboratory test performance study (TPS) to obtain validation parameters for the selected LAMP protocols for BNp, as well as for the LAMP assay for FDp detection developed in the course of the FP7 project VITISENS.