The presence of crown gall of grape incited byagrobacterium tumefaciens biovar 3 in Israel

Crown gall was previously reported on grape in Israel but the pathogen was not isolated and characterized. The three recognized biovars ofAgrobacterium tumefaciens can be tumorigenic on grape, but biovar 3 is the most important world wide. A single occurrence of tumors in a vineyard yielded bacteria which incited galls on grape,Nicotiana glauca and tomato, but not on bryophyllum. The bacteria were confirmed asA. tumefaciens because they contained DNA which hybridized with T-DNA from a Ti plasmid. Biochemical and physiological tests, octopine production and utilization, and agrocin 84 insensitivity conformed with those of bv. 3. Subsequent occurrences of the grape disease have not been found, but the presence ofA. tumefaciens bv. 3 in Israel is a potential threat to nurseries and vineyards.