Concluding remarks and future directions

Abstract

Since the discovery, in 1960, that a virus associated with grapevine fanleaf disease was made available for a thorough characterization upon transmission by manual inoculation to herbaceous hosts, the relentless investigations carried out in the major grapevine-growing countries have unveiled the complexity of the virus world of this crop. Nearly 70 different viruses have been identified, their properties and, to a great extent, their epidemiology determined, and their elimination from propagative material achieved. Thus, in perspective, it would have been reasonable to envisage a sanitarily improved world viticulture, if it were not for the still standing difficulty of protecting from reinfection the stands established with sanitized vines. Thus, future investigations, while not relinquishing the basic aspects of virological research, should aim at developing dependable strategies for preventing the sanitary deterioration of vineyards planted with certified materials.