Grapevine yellows in Bosnia and Herzegovina: surveys to identify phytoplasmas in grapevine, weeds and insect vectors

Presence and diffusion of grapevine yellows phytoplasmas was investigated in 2008 and 2010 in twelve vineyards located in two viticultural areas of Srpska region of Bosnia and Herzegovina. From the same vineyards, grapevine samples from different culti-vars and weeds were collected for molecular analyses. In addition, some potential insect vectors were collected in the vineyards of these regions. ‘Bois noir’ phytoplasma presence was confirmed to be associated with grapevine yellows, while in one Clematis vitalba sample phytoplasma from 16SrV-C subgroup was identified. RFLP analysis of the tuf gene indicated the presence of the tuf type-b of stolbur phytoplasma in the ‘bois noir’-infected samples. From collected hemipteran insects Dictyophara europaea and Reptalus cuspidatus were identified. Molecular analyses didn't show phytoplasma presence in the tested insect samples of these species.