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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Corvallis, Oregon » Horticultural Crops Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #237371
Title: New Viruses Identified in Fig Trees Exhibiting Fig Mosaic Disease

Author
item TZANETAKIS, I - UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS
item Martin, Robert

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/1/2009
Publication Date: 2/15/2010
Citation: Tzanetakis, I.E., Martin, R.R. 2010. New viruses identified in fig trees exhibiting fig mosaic disease. International Conference on Virus and Other Graft Transmissible Diseases of Fruit Crops. July 5-10 2009. Neustad, Germany.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Fig mosaic disease has been known for decades, but the causal agent has been elusive. Here we present data on the incidence of at least four new viruses isolated from fig trees exhibiting mosaic symptoms. One of the viruses is closely related to the recently identified European mountain ash ringspot-associated virus. The second is a member of the genus Badnavirus and is related most closely to Citrus yellow mosaic virus. The other two viruses belong to the family Closteroviridae. Detection protocols have been developed for each of the four viruses, and a limited survey of fig mosaic trees was carried out. The first agent was present in all samples while the rest were found in a subset of the samples. The incidence of the European mountain ash ringspot-associated virus-like agent in all tested material and its morphology that is identical to the fig mosaic agent indicates that the virus is indeed the causal agent of the disease. The provisional name Fig mosaic associated virus has been given to the virus. Transmission trials are under way to identify vectors of the latter three new viruses and better understand their involvement in disease development.