Viticultural Information

Crown Gall Disease

Severity varies greatly with factors such as locations of the galls, cultivars, cultural practices, and, most important, the influence of climate. The galls are typically found on roots and crowns, and sometimes on canes and stems. The disease is more common and the symptoms more severe in cold climates. Latent infections of the bacterium are common in grapevines and many sources of planting stock harbor the bacteria.

In California, the long term effects of crown gall are difficult to assess or predict, especially where winters are mild. Even in vineyards where infection incidence is low, crown gall has the potential to cause problems when vines are grafted or budded with new scion varieties. Other types of mechanical injury can also trigger the formation of galls.

Tom Burr, Cornell University

UC Pest Management Guidelines: Grape Crown Gall

Grape Crown Gall, Cornell University Factsheet, 2006 (pdf).

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“STRATEGIES FOR CONTROLLING CROWN GALL IN NURSERY STOCK” - Dr. Tom Burr, Professor of Plant Pathology, Cornell University. Presented on June 20, 2006 at the Grapevine Clean Plant Workshop hosted by UC Davis Extension.

Video Link: Silverlight is a powerful development tool for creating engaging, interactive user experiences for Web and mobile applications. Silverlight is a free plug-in, powered by the .NET framework and compatible with multiple browsers, devices and operating systems, bringing a new level of interactivity wherever the Web works. The speaker and presentation may be viewed in video on the following link:

"Biology of crown gall disease and its management of grape nurseries and vineyards" - Dr. Tom Burr, Professor of Plant Pathology, Cornell University. Presented on October 11, 2012 at the 17th Congress of the International Council for the Study of Virus and Virus-like Diseases of the Grapevine (ICVG) hosted by UC Davis Foundation Plant Services.

Bini, F., Kuczmog, A., Putnoky, P., Otten, L., Bazzi, C., Burr, T. and Szegedi, E. 2008. Novel pathogen-specific primers for the detection of Agrobacterium vitis and Agrobacterium tumefaciens (PDF) Vitis 47(3).

Burr, T. 2004. Grape crown gall biology and strategies for control (PDF). Foundation Plant Services Grape Program Newsletter, Fall 2004: 16-18.

Martinson, T. and Burr, T. 2012. How Close are We to Crown Gall-Free Nursery Stock? (pdf). Research Focus 2012-1, Cornell University Viticulture and Enology Program, 6pp.

Schroth, M. 1992. Crown Gall. Pages 94-96 in: Grape Pest Management, 2nd edition. University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources Publication 3343, Oakland, CA.