First report of grapevine yellows phytoplasma in viticultural areas of the South Brazil

The highlands of Southern Brazil are the most important grapes and wine production region of the country. Diseases are of special concern in viticulture as they are responsible for important losses in yield and quality. Samples from grapevine plants showing yellows symptoms in vineyards of this region were collected and analyzed by nested-PCR. Phytoplasma detected were then classified by in silico PCR/RFLP and phylogenetic analysis. Six out of fifteen symptomatic plants were positive for phytoplasma identified as belonging to the 16SrIII-J subgroup. This is the first report of grapevine yellows association with phytoplasma presence in the of South Brazil.