Besides leafhopper transmission, Flavescence Dorée can spread through which method?

Besides leafhopper transmission, Flavescence Dorée can spread through which method?

• A. Airborne spores
• B. Water splashes from irrigation
• C. Propagation of infected vines
• D. Bees pollinating flowers

Answer: (C)

Flavescence dorée is a phytoplasma disease of grapevines that spreads mainly through a leafhopper vector, but it can also move when infected plant material is propagated. The pathogen lives in the phloem, so when cuttings or grafted vines from an infected plant are used to establish new vines, the disease is introduced into the new site. This human-mediated spread is why quarantine and the use of certified disease-free planting material are critical. Airborne spores would imply a fungal mechanism, which doesn’t apply here. Water splashes from irrigation are not a recognized route for transmitting this phytoplasma, and bees pollinating flowers does not spread it since the pathogen is not transmitted through pollen or seeds.

Flavescence dorée is a phytoplasma disease of grapevines that spreads mainly through a leafhopper vector, but it can also move when infected plant material is propagated. The pathogen lives in the phloem, so when cuttings or grafted vines from an infected plant are used to establish new vines, the disease is introduced into the new site. This human-mediated spread is why quarantine and the use of certified disease-free planting material are critical.

Airborne spores would imply a fungal mechanism, which doesn’t apply here. Water splashes from irrigation are not a recognized route for transmitting this phytoplasma, and bees pollinating flowers does not spread it since the pathogen is not transmitted through pollen or seeds.