Research Update: Integrative studies of vector-related field epidemiology for grapevine red blotch-associated virus

Grapevine virus diseases are of serious concern for vineyard managers and winemakers in all Western production regions. Grapevine red blotch-associated virus (GRBaV) impacts grape berry quality. Growers and scientists alike have noticed a consistently lower °Brix at harvest of infected vines, resulting in removal of symptomatic vines from vineyards. What’s more concerning is that GRBaV is spreading. Ecological mapping of GRBaV-positive vines, as verified by qPCR during 2013-2016, showed a significant trend of virus increase in two of three areas studied in Oregon. Click here to read Vaughn Walton’s full update.