Fungal microbiota associated to ‘La Matriarca’, a pre-phylloxera Vitis vinifera ‘Treixadura’ cultivar in NW Spain

At the end of the 19^th century most of the vineyards were devastated by grape Phylloxera worldwide. Since then, all vines are grafted with American rootstocks resistant to the plague and the use of cultivars without grafting is forbidden. Nevertheless, there are a few ancient vines which survive these days as the one locally called ‘La Matriarca a Treixadura’ cultivar from 1813 belonging to the Marqués de Vizhoja Cellar (Arbo, NW Spain). With the focus on biocontrol, the aim of this study was to isolate and identify fungi from different compartments of this vine and test them as potential biocontrol agents. Samples of vegetal tissues and soils were harvested and carried to the laboratory. Samples were processed, cultured under sterile conditions, and incubated for fungi isolation. Pure cultures were firstly identified up to genus level by morphological characteristics and secondly to level species by molecular techniques. A total of 22 fungal isolates of 15 different species were selected which many of them are commonly used as biocontrol agents. To evaluate their potential antagonist capacity, each isolate was grown in a dual cultural test with Neofusicoccum parvum, considered one of the most aggressive fungi involved in grapevine trunk diseases.