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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Corvallis, Oregon » Horticultural Crops Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #108463
Title: DISTRIBUTION AND ABUNDANCE OF LEAF GALLING GRAPE PHYLLOXERA (HOMOTPTERA: PHYLLOXERIDAE) AND VITIS SPECIES IN THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN UNITED STATES.

Author
item DOWNIE, DOUGLAS - UNIV OF CALIFORNIA-DAVIS
item GRANETT, JEFFREY - UNIV OF CALIFORNIA-DAVIS
item Fisher, James

Submitted to: Environmental Entomology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/30/2000
Publication Date: 3/14/2001
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: We needed to get information about the host range and populations of grape phylloxera from its places of origin; areas East of the Rocky Mountains in the United States. To do this we surveyed wild occurring grape species in 22 Eastern and Central states. We grouped states into 6 geographic regions. Four of seven wild grape species were found to be attacked by grape phylloxera. An increasing south to north gradient in phylloxera abundance was observed, 14 percent of the vines were attacked in the areas explored in the Gulf coast, 34 percent were attacked in the Central coast region, 66 percent were attacked in the North central region and 64 percent were attacked in the Northeastern region. Two common species used in crosses for rootstock of wine grapes, Vitis riparia and Vitis vulpina were attacked more frequently than expected. An aberrant sexual form of phylloxera heretofore only found in the Southwest was described from the species, Vitis cinerea, but not from any of the other species. This information will be used for future molecular studies on these populations and contribute to the understanding and evaluation of grape rootstock that may be resistant to grape phylloxera.

Technical Abstract: In order to better understand the host range and factors acting on the population structure of native grape phylloxera, Vitis species in 22 central and eastern US states were surveyed for grape phylloxera presence and abundance. Data for frequency of attack and mean number of galled leaves per vine were compared among Vitis species and among 6 geographic regions defined according to topographic, ecological, and heuristic criteria. Four of 7 Vitis species identified were found to be attacked by grape phylloxera and both the frequency of vines that were attacked and the mean number of galled leaves differed among species and regions. In general, V. riparia and V. vulpina were attacked more frequently than expected and V. cinerea less than expected. The distributions of 3 of these species, V. vulpina, V. aestivalis, and V. cinerea were largely overlapping, but the distribution of V. riparia was not. It was found to the near exclusion of other species in the northern US, in the region formerly occupied by the Laurentide Icesheet. An increasing south to north gradient in phylloxera abundance was observed, 14 percent of surveyed vines were attacked in the Gulf Coast, 34 percent in the Central region, and 66 and 64 percent in the Northcentral and Northeastern regions. The mean number of galled leaves per vine conformed to this trend. In addition, sexual morphs were produced by apterous gallicolae in galls on V. cinerea, but not on other Vitis species. This life cycle variant has previously been described only in the southwest US. These data will be useful for future molecular phylogeographic studies and in the understanding, evaluation, and deployment of phylloxera-resistant germplasm.