BIOLOGICAL INDEXING IN GREENHOUSE WITH THE USE OF MICROPROPAGATED MATERIAL OF GENUS VITIS

The assay tested the presence of vein necrosis on clones of rootstocks 101–14 C., Schwarzmann and of cv Pinot gris, which, in comparison with a healthy clone of Chardonnay, resulted infected with the traditional woody procedures. It requires micropropagated and acclimatised indicator plants for green-grafting with leaf petiole or secondary shoot from plants in field as scion. At the end of June, the material was manually green-grafted on the predisposed indicator plants, which were pruned to two buds for the development of possible symptoms. The graft unions were protected with a strip of parafilm. The plants were kept in a greenhouse under mist for 15 days. The controls were carried out after 40 days: the first symptoms were visible on the upper and lower surfaces of median and basal leaves of the indicator plant. Best results were seemingly obtained by using secondary shoots of infected vines for the rootstocks and leaf petioles for cv of V. vinifera L. This technique could be a simpler and faster alternative bioassay. It has the advantage to use test material (leaves or secondary shoots) available during the whole growing season and always of the right size with respect to the indicator plant.

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