Natural fungal infections - Galicia (Spain)

Grapevine pruning wounds made during the dormant season are a port of entry of wood-invading fungi. Timing of pruning may affect the wound susceptibility to these fungi, such as those associated with grapevine trunk diseases (GTDs). This study aimed to determine the effect of pruning time on natural fungal infection in six vineyards in Galicia, Spain, belonging to three Denominations of Origin (D.O) over two growing seasons. Pruning wounds were left unprotected physically and chemically during two periods of three months each, from November to February and from February to May. The diversity and composition of the fungal microbiome that colonized the pruning wounds was identified by ITS2 high-throughput amplicon sequencing (HTAS).