DETECTION OF GRAPEVINE RUPESTRIS STEM PITTING-ASSOCIATED VIRUS IN AUTOCHTHONOUS GRAPEVINE CULTIVARS IN TURKEY

Grapevine rupestris stem pitting-associated virus (GRSPaV, genus Foveavirus, family Betaflexiviridae) is the putative agent of the Rupestris stem pitting (RSP) disease of grapevines. GRSPaV comprises a family of variants whose pathological characteristics are incompletely known. Recently, many of the autochthonous table grape cultivars were tested for the presence of GRSPaV in two major Turkish grape-growing areas, i.e. the Eastern Mediterranean and the Southeast Anatolia regions. Comparative analysis of local GRSPaV isolates from these native cultivars was performed with viral genome sequences from NCBI database. To our knowledge, this is the first report for the presence of GRSPaV in Turkish vineyards.