Digoxigenin-labelled riboprobes (DIG-RNA) were developed for the detection in infected tissue extracts of grapevine trichovirus A (GVA), grapevine trichovirus B (GVB) and grapevine leafroll-associated closterovirus III (GLRaV III). The probes were virus-specific and could be used for the identification of the respective viruses in sap expressed from infected Nicotiana species (GVA and GVB) and in total nucleic acid extracts from infected grapevines (GVA, GVB and GLRaV III). The efficiency of detection was the same as (GLRaV III), or slightly less than (GVA), with ELISA. No difference was found in detection efficiency between DIG-RNA and cDNA radioactive probes
