DIAGNOSIS OF PLUM POX VIRUS BY ELISA

Plum pox virus occurs the most often in stone fruits causing damages of economic importance in Hungary.
As preventive control method production of virus-free propagating material is used in practice.
It requires regular serological screening.
In order to get reliable results by ELISA, it is therefore, very important to determine the optimal time and method of sampling, and using antisera of high quality.

Two antisera have been prepared against PPV-D and PPV-K strains.
They were conjugated with peroxidase enzyme for ELISA. To check the conjugates, PPV-biotin-avidin reagents and the PPV-kit of Bioreba company were used.
Investigations were regularly made in plum and apricot orchards.
Samples were taken four times from May to September for ELISA and at the same time symptomatological evaluation was also made.

As a result of our investigations it was concluded as follows:

• titer of PPV-D antiserum was 1/16384, that of PPV-K anti-serum: 1/8190,

• virus concentration is different during vegetation period and in the different part of the trees,

• the most reliable time for virus detection in Hungary is mid June to mid July,

• symptomatological evaluation and ELISA results are not always in correlation (there are latent infection),

• there are serological differences among PPV isolates,

• PPV-HRPO conjugates could detect higher percentage of infected trees than PPV conjugates from Bioreba.

XV International Symposium on Fruit Tree Diseases

I. Tóbiás, K. Gyozo, M. Kölber

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1992.309.23