Annual herbs - possible reservoirs of sharka disease?

Abstract

Nineteen annuals - herbaceous indicators - were used for elucidation of Plum pox potyvirus seed transmission possibility after artificial inoculation with 9 different naturally infected PPV M and D strain sources. The seeds of positive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) tested herbaceous indicators were collected and planted for germination. Successful seed transmission was detected after ELISA in 3 weeks old plants as follows: Nicotiana benthamiana 3.75% (source of PPV M Prunus domestica L. cv. unknown); N. clevelandii 3.5% (source of PPV M P. armeniaca (L.) Batsch cv. V 66052); N. benthamiana 8.42% and N. acuminata 1.97% (source of PPV D P. domestica L. cv. Althane); N. benthamiana 12.73% (source of PPV M P. domestica L. cv. Bystrická); N. acuminata 1.84% and N. occidentalis 15.1% (source of PPV D Rubus fruticosus Agg.); N. occidentalis 19.23% (source of PPV M Juglans regia L. isolate O 15); N. occidentalis 12.0% (source of PPV M J. regia L. isolate H1). These preliminary results suggest that PPV seed transmission by annual species may serve as a potential source of a virus spreading to the new plantations of the stone fruit trees by aphids transmission.

Keywords

• plum pox potyvirus
• herbaceous indicators
• annuals
• seed transmission
• elisa