Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Preliminary Investigations Of Pigment Responses To Phylloxera Infestation, A L. Blanchfield, K S. Powell, Sharon A. Robinson

Sharon Robinson

Early detection of grape phylloxera (Daktulosphaira vitifoliae) infestation is vital for the implementation of post-outbreak quarantine in Australia. Remote sensing systems exploit changes in leaf pigment content associated with plant stress and offer a real possibility of a phylloxera-specific detection system. Pre-visual, symptomatic changes in the pigment content of phylloxera-infested grapevine leaves were investigated using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) as a potential aid to improve current phylloxera detection methods. A glasshouse trial was established to characterize the response of two grapevine varieties, Vitis vinifera ‘Cabernet Sauvignon’ and ‘Shiraz’, to phylloxera infestation, in a controlled environment. Field trials were conducted …