ARS | Publication request: Surprising results from a search for effective disinfectants for Tobacco mosaic virus-contaminated tools

Submitted to: Plant Disease
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: October 6, 2009
Publication Date: May 1, 2010
Citation: Lewandowski, D., Hayes, A.J., Adkins, S.T. 2010. Surprising results from a search for effective disinfectants for Tobacco mosaic virus-contaminated tools. Plant Disease. 94:5:542-550.

Interpretive Summary: More than 100 years after its discovery, Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) remains an economically important pathogen for producers of many vegetatively propaged crops including petunias. We have developed a robust system to determine efficacy of disinfectants for treating TMV-contaminated cutting tools.

Technical Abstract: Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) and four other tobamoviruses infected multiple petunia cultivars without producing obvious viral symptoms. A single cutting event on a TMV-infected plant was sufficient for transmission to many plants subsequently cut with the same clippers. A number of 'old standbys' and new products were tested for their efficacy in treating TMV-contaminated cutting tools.