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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Fort Pierce, Florida » U.S. Horticultural Research Laboratory » Subtropical Plant Pathology Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #209804
Title: Management of tobamoviruses in ornamental production

Author
item Adkins, Scott
item LEWANDOWSKI, D. J. - OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY

Submitted to: American Phytopathological Society Annual Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/9/2007
Publication Date: 6/1/2007
Citation: Adkins, S.T., Lewandowski, D. 2007. Management of tobamoviruses in ornamental production. American Phytopathological Society Annual Meeting.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) and other tobamovirus species infect a wide range of ornamental plants. Many tobamoviruses cause similar symptoms in certain hosts, yet cause symptomless infections in other hosts and/or cultivars. Tobamovirus virions are extremely stable and can remain infectious for years. To investigate petunia-tobamovirus interactions, four petunia cultivars were mechanically inoculated with one of six tobamoviruses [TMV, Tomato mosaic virus (ToMV), Pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV), Tobacco mild green mottle virus (TMGMV), Tropical soda apple mosaic virus (TSAMV) and Hibiscus latent Fort Pierce virus (HLFPV). All but HLFPV are known to infect many solanaceous species. No symptoms were observed with TMV, ToMV, PMMoV, TMGMV or TSAMV systemic infections. However, local lesions were observed on inoculated leaves of some petunia cultivars inoculated with ToMV and TSAMV. These same four petunia cultivars were mechanically inoculated with sap from field collected petunias showing obvious symptoms of virus infection (serologically shown to be a tobamovirus). Symptomatic systemic infections resulted in three of four cultivars. Various treatments are now being tested for their ability to reduce the rate of tobamovirus transmission during typical ornamental production protocols.