PCR Identification of Pathogenic Agrobacteria Detected in Vineyards of Krasnodar Krai Based on the Type of Ti Plasmids

Abstract

Agrobacterium vitis and some strains of A. tumefaciens and A. rhizogenes cause a dangerous chronic disease on grape plants—crown gall. Molecular-genetic methods were used in the work to identify and study the diversity of pathogenic agrobacteria that cause crown gall in the vineyards of Krasnodar krai. The research material was 76 samples of young and lignified tumor-like outgrowths of crown gall of grapes collected from plants in 14 vineyards of Krasnodar krai with different origins of planting stock (Italy, France, Austria, Serbia, Bulgaria, and Russia). In all studied samples, the presence of A. vitis was identified using the PGF/PGR test-system for DNA analysis. When studying the diversity of agrobacteria by the type of Ti plasmids contained therein, four groups were identified: containing octopine-type Ti plasmids (59.5%), octopine/vitopine (13.5%), vitopine (13.5%), and nopaline type (13.5%). The obtained data indicate that crown gall of grapes in the vineyards of Krasnodar krai is caused by agrobacteria A. vitis, mainly of the octopine type.