Acta Scientiarum Polonorum: Hortorum Cultus (Dec 2011)
DETECTION AND IDENTIFICATION OF VIRUSES OF HIGHBUSH BLUEBERRY AND CRANBERRY USING SEROLOGICAL ELISA TEST AND PCR TECHNIQUE
Abstract
The problems in the cultivation of highbush blueberry and cranberry are diseases caused by infections factor, particularly by fungi and lately also by viruses. In the years 2008–2010 research concerning the detection and identification of viruses occurring on production plantations of the highbush blueberry located in the central and southeastern Poland and the cranberry growing on the separate parts of the plantation in the central Poland using the serological ELISA test and PCR technique were performed. The results of the performed serological ELISA test showed the presence on the bushes of various cultivars of the Blueberry shoestring virus (BSSV) and Peach rosette mosaic virus (PRMV) (central and south-eastern Poland) and the Blueberry scorch virus (BlScV) and Tobacco ringspot virus (TRSV) (central Poland). During the observations carried out on the plantings of the highbush blueberry only the symptoms characteristic for the infection with the BlScV were noted (central Poland). This virus was also detected using DASELISA test in the cranberry plants growing in the separate parts of plantations in the central region of Poland (Plantation A/W), which did not show any disease symptoms. In Europe it is the first report on the occurrence of BlScV in the cranberry bushes. What is more, it was established that the viruses can be detected in the leaves, the flowers and the phloem + periderm + cortex parenchyma samples in which the investigations could be performed in various months in the year. In the bushes of the blueberry of the Darrow and Herbert cultivars from Plantation A/W (central Poland) showing the symptoms in the form of red spots on the leaves or red spots and rings on the stems the presence of the Blueberry red ringspot virus (BRRSV) was confirmed using the PCR technique. In Poland it is the first report concerning the occurrence of the virus in the bushes of the highbush blueberry following those published in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
