Project Number
GENUS 15-02
Project title
Establishment of an NGS-based alternative for hardwood indexing for grapevine diseases – grapevine stem pitting disease
Project leader
Maree, H J
Institution
University of Stellenbosch. Department of Genetics
Team members
Burger, J T
Maree, H J
Spreeth, N
Project description
The South African Vine Improvement Organisation requires the screening and certification of commercial grapevine propagation material. Currently these screens are done by hardwood indexing (HI), or by assays like ELISA and RT-PCR. Although ELISA and RT-PCR are superior in terms of sensitivity, specificity, speed and cost, HI has the advantage of detecting unknown pathogens in an unbiased way, and is therefore still prescribed for diseases and disorders like grapevine stem pitting and Shiraz disease, for which the aetiology has not been fully resolved.
Next-generation sequencing (NGS) combines the advantages offered by PCR with the unbiased nature of indexing. This project will evaluate the efficacy of NGS as a diagnostic tool for the replacement of HI. The implementation of this technology grapevine rupestris stem pitting-associated virus (GRSPaV) and stem pitting will be focussed on. Additional sequence information generated for GRSPaV in this study will be used to develop sensitive and robust RT-PCR diagnostic assays.
Poster(s)
Mostert. I, Burger, J T, Maree, H J. 2017. Characterization of the genetic diversity and identification of putative recombination events in grapevine rupestris stem pitting-associated virus detected in virus diseased vines. Poster and flash presentation at the 50th Anniversary Congress of the Southern African Society for Plant Pathology. 16-19 January, Drakensberg, South Africa.