Diversity of Botryosphaeriaceae Species Associated With Grapevine Dieback in France: Life Traits and Aggressiveness
Abstract
Members of the Botryosphaeriaceae are ubiquitous and are involved in the decline of many woody plants, including grapevine. They pose a particular threat to the quality and quantity of grape harvests and affect the longevity of vineyards worldwide. Understanding the diversity, distribution and life traits of these pathogens is crucial for improving disease management. In this study, we analysed Botryosphaeriaceae isolates from symptomatic or asymptomatic vines in six wine-growing regions of France. Seven species of Botryosphaeriaceae were found, belonging to the genera Botryosphaeria, Diplodia, Lasiodiplodia, Neofusicoccum and Dothiorella. The most prevalent species were Diplodia seriata and Neofusicoccum parvum. Selected French isolates and reference isolates (from the Fungal Biodiversity Centre) were characterised molecularly with different primers (LSU/28S, ITS, EF1, Tub2); also, their ability to grow at different temperatures (15°C, 28°C and 33°C) and to cause cankers and necrosis in Vitis vinifera were evaluated. Neofusicoccum and Lasiodiplodia isolates exhibited greater aggressiveness than Diplodia, Botryosphaeria and Dothiorella. Building on previous published virome characterisations, we attempted to evaluate the potential impact of mycoviruses on the measured life traits. The findings suggest that some of the mycoviruses identified might affect certain life traits (e.g., the ability to grow at 33°C and canker size), depending on the virus-fungal species combination. This study provides a molecular and biological characterisation baseline for Botryosphaeriaceae species circulating in French vineyards, together with a first attempt to evaluate the impact of their associated virome, laying the groundwork for a better understanding of the interactions between Botryosphaeriaceae and grapevine.
Related
- Nitrogen fertilization outweighs plant species loss in shaping bacterial belowground diversity in an alpine meadow on the central Tibetan Plateau.
- Unveiling species and genetic diversity in gammarids (Amphipoda, Crustacea) from French Pyrenean streams using molecular tools
- Hot drought reshapes the relationship between tree species diversity and forest resilience
- Growing disequilibria in species distributions and assemblage diversity until the end of the 21st‑century
- Geospatial Foundation Models for forest diversity mapping in structurally complex, species-rich forests
BibTeX
@article{comont2026diversity,
title = {{Diversity of Botryosphaeriaceae Species Associated With Grapevine Dieback in France: Life Traits and Aggressiveness}},
author = {Gwenaëlle Comont and Marie Laurens and Chantal Faure and Philippe Larignon and Thierry Candresse and Armelle Marais and Marie‐france Corio‐costet},
journal = {Plant Pathology},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1111/ppa.70268},
url = {https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-05751637v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Diversity of Botryosphaeriaceae Species Associated With Grapevine Dieback in France: Life Traits and Aggressiveness
AU - Gwenaëlle Comont
AU - Marie Laurens
AU - Chantal Faure
AU - Philippe Larignon
AU - Thierry Candresse
AU - Armelle Marais
AU - Marie‐france Corio‐costet
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/16
JO - Plant Pathology
DO - 10.1111/ppa.70268
UR - https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-05751637v1
AB - Members of the Botryosphaeriaceae are ubiquitous and are involved in the decline of many woody plants, including grapevine. They pose a particular threat to the quality and quantity of grape harvests and affect the longevity of vineyards worldwide. Understanding the diversity, distribution and life traits of these pathogens is crucial for improving disease management. In this study, we analysed Botryosphaeriaceae isolates from symptomatic or asymptomatic vines in six wine-growing regions of France. Seven species of Botryosphaeriaceae were found, belonging to the genera Botryosphaeria, Diplodia, Lasiodiplodia, Neofusicoccum and Dothiorella. The most prevalent species were Diplodia seriata and Neofusicoccum parvum. Selected French isolates and reference isolates (from the Fungal Biodiversity Centre) were characterised molecularly with different primers (LSU/28S, ITS, EF1, Tub2); also, their ability to grow at different temperatures (15°C, 28°C and 33°C) and to cause cankers and necrosis in Vitis vinifera were evaluated. Neofusicoccum and Lasiodiplodia isolates exhibited greater aggressiveness than Diplodia, Botryosphaeria and Dothiorella. Building on previous published virome characterisations, we attempted to evaluate the potential impact of mycoviruses on the measured life traits. The findings suggest that some of the mycoviruses identified might affect certain life traits (e.g., the ability to grow at 33°C and canker size), depending on the virus-fungal species combination. This study provides a molecular and biological characterisation baseline for Botryosphaeriaceae species circulating in French vineyards, together with a first attempt to evaluate the impact of their associated virome, laying the groundwork for a better understanding of the interactions between Botryosphaeriaceae and grapevine.
SN - 0032-0862
SN - 1365-3059
ER -