Elimination of Grapevine Leafroll Virus by Heat Treatment and Meristem Tip Culture

Abstract

In order to eliminate the grapevine leaf roll virus (GLRV) from grape cultivar, Zenkoji (socalled Ryugan), some experiments on the heat treatment and meristem tip culture were conducted and new plants were successfully obtained. These plants were indexed for GLRV by the observation of symptoms appeared on them and also indicator cultivar, Pinot noir, plants green-grafted with candidate plants. The results indicated that the elimination ratio in meristem tip culture (80.4%) was higher than that in heat treatment (27.3%).