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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Corvallis, Oregon » Horticultural Crops Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #177337
Title: BLUEBERRY SCORCH AND TWO NEW VIRUS-LIKE DISEASES IN BLUEBERRY.

Author
item Martin, Robert
item TZANETAKIS, I - OREGON STATE UNIVERISTY

Submitted to: Proceedings of the Oregon Horticultural Society
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/27/2005
Publication Date: 4/1/2006
Citation: Martin, R.R., Tzanetakis, I.E. 2006. Blueberry scorch and two new virus-like diseases in blueberry.. Proceedings of the Oregon Horticultural Society. Available: http://www.oregonhorticulturalsociety.org/newsletter/newsletter.php?article=294&month=&section=14&n_id=10&rank=6

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Blueberry scorch virus has been identified in cranberry in British Columbia, Washington and Oregon. It has also been identified in wild blueberry in a remote area of British Columbia several hundred miles from where the commercial blueberries are grown in the Fraser Valley. These findings suggest that control of this virus will be complicated and will require monitoring of nearby Vaccinium species to assess risk and control measures. Two new diseases of blueberry have been observed the past few years. One of these has been referred to as Blueberry Fruit Drop and has only been observed in 'Bluecrop'. This has been observed in British Columbia, Washington and Oregon and it does spread in the field from year to year. We have a virus associated with this disease but have not been able to confirm that this is the causal agent. The second disease results in bushes that do not flower. We really have no information on what might be causing this disease but suspect a virus for the following reasons. Symptom distribution and spread in a bush is similar to that observed for Blueberry shock virus, sometimes only one branch shows symptoms but it spreads through the entire bush. It occurs in patches in the field and growers report that it is spreading from year to year. We have been able to graft transmit something from affected blueberry to tobacco. At this point, we have dsRNA in the tobacco, which usually is indicative of a virus infection.