ARS | Publication request: An Experimental Host Range of Triticum Mosaic Virus

Submitted to: Plant Disease
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: May 19, 2010
Publication Date: September 1, 2010
Repository URL: http://apsjournals.apsnet.org/doi/pdf/10.1094/PDIS-94-9-1125
Citation: Seifers, D., Martin, J.T., Fellers, J.P. 2010. An Experimental Host Range of Trititcum Mosaic Virus. Plant Disease. 94:1125-1131.

Interpretive Summary: Triticum mosaic virus (TriMV) was recently discovered in Kansas and isolated from wheat. Prior to this study, it was not known how many different hosts TriMV could infect. It is important to understand the host range for several reasons. First, we need to know what other crops may be at risk of infection and may require breeding efforts to find resistance. Second, if there are other susceptible grass species that reside near fields of wheat, they may act as the source for virus infection and may require control strategies to minimize risk. In this report, TriMV was found to infect barley, oat, rye, and triticale, but not maize or sorghum. It was also found that certain barley and triticale accessions were hosts of TriMV, and not Wheat streak mosaic virus, which is sometimes found to co-infect with TriMV. Many of the grass species were not hosts of TriMV, however, jointed goat grass, three of the brome species, two cupgrasses, green foxtail, and wild oats were susceptible. As some of the species were only susceptible to TriMV and not WSMV, they can be useful in efforts to purify TriMV from a mixed infection.

Technical Abstract: Triticum mosaic virus (TriMV) is a newly discovered virus isolated from wheat. This study was conducted to determine an experimental host range for TriMV and identify species that could serve as differential hosts for isolating TriMV from Wheat streak mosaic virus (WSMV). Plants tested were mechanically inoculated with the 06-123 isolate of TriMV or the Sidney 81 isolate of WSMV. Some plants were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using antibodies of TriMV and WSMV. Plants infected with TriMV always produced mosaic symptoms and only extracts of symptomatic plants reacted with antibodies of TriMV. Maize is not a host for TriMV, but barley, oat, rye, and triticale are hosts of TriMV. Certain barley, and triticale accessions are hosts for TriMV but not WSMV and these plants can be used in combination with maize to separate WSMV and TriMV in plants infected by both viruses. We also showed that several grass species were susceptible to TriMV and many were not. Many of the grasses susceptible to TriMV have been reported as immune to infection with WSMV. Because of their growth habits these species would be less desirable for use as differential hosts than maize, barley and triticale.