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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Urbana, Illinois » Soybean/maize Germplasm, Pathology, and Genetics Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #109796
Title: LUTEOVIRUSES

Author
item Domier, Leslie
item DARCY, CLEORA - UNIV OF ILLINOIS

Submitted to: Encyclopedia of Plant Pathology
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/16/2000
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Many types of viruses infect plants. Based on biological and biochemical properties, these viruses have been separated into a hierarchical set of groups with family as the highest level, followed by genus and strain. In this chapter we present a general description of the Luteoviridae family of plant viruses. The viruses in the Luteoviridae family infect a wide variety of plants, cause yellowing diseases, and have similar biological, biochemical, and genetic properties. The viruses within the family Luteoviridae have been divided into three genera. The viruses within each genus are more similar to the other members of the genus than they are to the viruses in the other two genera. This description will be useful to lay people and research scientists who need a general description of the biological and biochemical properties of this group of plant viruses.

Technical Abstract: Luteoviruses are members of the genus Luteovirus of plant viruses that first were grouped because of their common biological properties. These properties include obligate and persistent transmission by aphid vectors and the induction of yellow, orange or red symptoms on the leaves of many infected host plants. "Luteo" comes from the Latin luteus, which translates as yellowish. Luteoviruses cause leaf discoloration and stunting of infected plants in a wide range of monocotyledonous hosts, including wheat, oat, barley, rye, rice, maize and range and pasture grasses. They have been found in most regions of the world where cereal crops are grown. Yield reductions as high as 30% have been reported in epidemic years, although in some cases, crops can be totally destroyed. The presence of luteoviruses may be overlooked because the symptoms, stunting and leaf discoloration, are similar to those caused by abiotic stresses. The genus Luteovirus is the type member of the family Luteoviridae. Two other genera, Polerovirus and Enamovirus, are included in the family. Two viruses, Barley yellow dwarf virus-PAV (BYDV-PAV) and Barley yellow dwarf virus-MAV, are recognized by the International Committee for the Taxonomy of Viruses as being members of the genus Luteovirus. BYDV-PAV is the type species of the genus.