Skip to main content
ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Corvallis, Oregon » Horticultural Crops Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #98074
Title: PLANT-PARASITIC NEMATODES ASSOCIATED WITH GRAPEVINES, VITIS VINIFERA, IN OREGON VINEYARDS

Author
item Pinkerton, John
item FORGE, T - OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY
item IVORS, K - OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY
item INGHAM, R - OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY

Submitted to: Journal of Nematology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/2/1999
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Oregon has a rapidly growing winegrape industry consisting of over 400 commercial vineyards. The region is well-suited for grape production because of the mild, Mediterranean climate and an absence of major pest and disease problems. In most grape production areas, growth and yield of grapevines are reduced by plant-parasitic nematodes (microscopic, root-feeding, roundworms). In 1994 and 1995, a survey was conducted in Oregon vineyards to determine the distribution of nematodes and associated plant damage. Soil samples were collected from 70 vineyards and assayed for the presence of nematodes. The survey represented ca. 50% of the state's vineyard acreage. Nematodes species reported to damage grapes were found in all vineyards and often population densities which were greater than damage levels reported in California vineyards. However, vine damage was rarely associated with nematodes. We hypothesize that climatic and soil characteristics in Oregon promote vigorous plant growth which can compensate for the affects of nematode parasitism. As vineyards age, are replanted on infested sites, or new variety and rootstocks are planted, it is probable that nematodes will cause yield loss in Oregon vineyards. This study identified the nematode species which may be potentially damaging, the site characteristics where they occur, and provides a baseline for evaluating the impact on the winegrape industry in the future.

Technical Abstract: A survey of Oregon vineyards was conducted in 1994 and 1995 to determine the association of plant-parasitic nematodes with vine health. Seventy vineyards in four regions of western Oregon (14 to 24 vineyards per region) were sampled. Vineyards were selected and partitioned into blocks by variety, age of planting, crop history, and soil characteristics. Criconemella xenoplax, Xiphinema americanum, and populations of Pratylenchus and Paratylenchus were recovered from over 85% of the vineyards; only 10% of vineyards had detectable populations of Meloidogyne hapla. Meloidogyne hapla. C. xenoplax and X. americanum were found in 20% and 8% of vineyard blocks, respectively, at population densities reported to cause moderate yield loss in California. C. xenoplax was found at greatest population densities in vineyards older than 10 years and on former Prunus orchard sites in the northern Willamette Valley. Populations of C. xenoplax and X. americanum were associated with healthy and stunted vines. The long-term impact of C. xenoplax, X. americanum and other nematodes on Oregon vineyard production has not yet been determined.