Archivio Journal of Plant Pathology

Abstract:

The grapevine (Vitis spp.) undoubtedly represents one of the woody crops most widely grown in temperate climates, and a highly valuable agricultural commodity. As most of the vegetatively propagated crops, grapevines are exposed to the attacks of a variety of pests and pathogens among which infectious intracellular agents (viruses, viroids, phloem‑ and xylem‑limited prokaryotes) play a major role, causing heavy losses, shortening the productive life of vineyars, and endangering the survival itself of affected vines. The importance of the grapevine industry and the magnitude of the problems caused by these pathogens has generated wide interest which, in turn, has fostered intensive research which has been especially active at the international scale from the late 1950’s onwards.