NICOTIANA OCCIDENTALIS, A SUITABLE TEST PLANT IN RESEARCH ON VIRUSES OF SMALL FRUIT CROPS

Accessions of Nicotiana occidentalis appeared to be useful test plants for three mechanically transmissible viruses that were isolated from blackberry, strawberry and Ribes. The viruses from both blackberry and currants were transmitted from plants that were affected by virus diseases of hitherto unknown etiology, i.e. blackberry calico and gooseberry vein banding.
The viruses are possibly the causal agents of these diseases because they could not be detected in healthy blackberries and currants, respectively.
However, definite proof is lacking because the viruses could not be retransmitted from N. occidentalis to their natural hosts.
The virus isolated from strawberry is possibly associated with strawberry crinkle disease.
Its retention for at least six days in the transmitting aphids indicates that it is a persistently transmitted virus while its systemic symptoms on tobacco species resemble the symptoms of strawberry crinkle virus on tobacco species as decribed by Sylvester et al. (1987). Moreover, the virus could be transmitted only from crinkle-affected strawberry but not from crinkle-free strawberry.

V International Symposium on Small Fruit Virus Diseases

F.A. van der Meer

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1989.236.3