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Title: SURVEY OF STRAWBERRY VIRUSES OCCURRING IN COMMERCIAL PLANTINGS IN THE STATEOF MARYLAND, USA

Author
item Hokanson, Stan
item Martin, Robert
item HEFLEBOWER, RICHARD - MARYLAND COOPERATIVE EXT.
item ROUSE, ROBERT - MARYLAND COOPERATIVE EXT.
item Maas, John

Submitted to: Advances in Strawberry Research
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/15/2000
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Viruses cause economically important diseases of strawberry in the United States. Little is known about the present strawberry virus situation in the eastern United States. In order to determine the impact of viruses in the eastern states, a survey of 23 commercial strawberry farms was made in Maryland, in which leaves collected from farms were either grafted on to virus indicator plants or tested with enzyme linked immunosorbant assays (ELISA) to detect the presence of viruses. Viruses detected with ELISA included strawberry mild yellow edge potexvirus, tobacco streak ilarvirus, and tomato ringspot virus. Approximately 71% of the samples grafted onto UC-10 Fragaria virginiana Duch. indicators tested positive, suggesting strawberry pallidosis, an uncharacterized virus or virus-like disease is the major such problem confronting the Maryland strawberry industry. Seventeen plants were found to test positive for tobacco streak ilarvirus, which is the first recorded incidence of the disease in strawberry in the eastern United States. Results of this research will benefit the strawberry nursery industry, growers and researchers.

Technical Abstract: The strawberry virus situation in eastern North America could be considered relatively uncharacterized. To determine what strawberry viruses occur in the state of Maryland, and the frequency at which they occur, strawberry plants and/or leaf samples were collected from 23 commercial strawberry production farms located in 10 of Maryland's 23 counties. The plants that were sampled represent 15 currently used strawberry cultivars grown on plasticulture and matted-row systems from plantings ranging from six years to three months in age. Leaves from 128 whole plants collected on the Maryland farms were grafted onto either UC-4 or UC-5 clonal virus indicator plants to test for the presence of strawberry crinkle virus, strawberry mild yellow edge potexvirus (SMYEPV), strawberry mottle virus, strawberry veinbanding virus, tobacco streak ilarvirus (TSV) and/or tomato ringspot virus (ToRSV). Leaves from each plant were also grafted onto the UC-10 clonal indicator to test for the presence of strawberry pallidosis. An enzyme linked imunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to test 1,124 leaf samples for the presence of SMYEPV, TSV, and ToRSV. In grafting assays, 71% of the plants tested positive on the UC-10 indicators five weeks after grafting, while 30% of the plants tested positive on the UC-4 or UC-5 indicators. Of the 1,124 samples tested with ELISA, 7% tested positive for SMYEPV, 2% tested positive for TSV and 0.2% tested positive for ToRSV. These results suggest strawberry pallidosis is the major virus or virus-like problem confronting the Maryland strawberry industry. The 17 plants that tested positive for TSV are the first recorded incidence of this virus in strawberry in eastern North America.