Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) scientists and alumnus are closer in
identifying the genetic code of grape crown gall. Grape crown gall is a
bacterial disease which attacks the vascular tissue, causing formation of
galls and suppression in the transport of water and nutrients. This disease
can lead to yield reduction, affecting the growth of the grape industry.
Their study uses 16 grape varieties from the vineyards of New York, Hungary,
Tunisia, and Japan. These varieties were infected with crown gall disease
and planted in specific geographical locations in the continents of North
America, Europe, and Asia.

Findings show that from a total of 52 sampled tissues of crown gall tumors
obtained from the 16 grape varieties, the common core microbiome was
composed of Agrobacterium, Erwinia, and Novosphingbium and one member from
Enterobacteriaceae and Microbacteriaceae. This was identified through the
use of DNA sequencing platform, a technique used to separate the DNA of the
bacteria from its close relatives to the DNA plant cell. By this finding,
comparison of the ecological differences among the grapes planted in
different continents is the next step to further create an efficient crown
gall disease management that will lead to increase in crop production.

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