Term for the method used to test whether a vine is infected by bacteria, viruses or the like. When vines are imported, this is also carried out in quarantine. Here, the sap of the plant to be tested is transferred to so-called indicator plants, which are capable of or particularly resistant to the test and show the typical symptoms of a certain disease relatively quickly and distinctly. For example, the Cabernet Franc grape variety, which is particularly susceptible to leaf roll disease, is used as an indicator. The sap of the two plants can be transferred either by rubbing parts of the plant (leaves) or by grafting. Other test methods are ELISA and PCR. See also under vine enemies.
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Thorsten Rahn
Restaurantleiter, Sommelier, Weindozent und Autor; Dresden