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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Salinas, California » Crop Improvement and Protection Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #153041
Title: TOMBUSVIRUS INFECTION OF LETTUCE IS INFLUENCED BY THE SOIL ENVIRONMENT

Author
item Wintermantel, William - Bill
item Anchieta, Amy
item OBERMEIER, C - GERMANY
item WISLER, G - UNIV.FL.,GAINESVILLE

Submitted to: Phytopathology
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/15/2003
Publication Date: 3/20/2003
Citation: WINTERMANTEL, W.M., ANCHIETA, A.G., OBERMEIER, C., WISLER, G.C. TOMBUSVIRUS INFECTION OF LETTUCE IS INFLUENCED BY THE SOIL ENVIRONMENT. PHYTOPATHOLOGY. 2003. 93:S101.

Interpretive Summary: N/A

Technical Abstract: Lettuce dieback, a new soil-borne disease of lettuce, emerged in the 1990s to cause severe losses for lettuce production in the western United States. The disease is caused by the recently described tombusvirus, Lettuce necrotic stunt virus (LNSV) (Obermeier et al., 2001). LNSV can infect lettuce through the soil in the absence of fungal vectors. Fields with high disease incidence are usually poorly drained; however, disease severity in infested fields varies considerably from year to year. To identify factors contributing to variability in infection, soil analyses were conducted on adjacent lettuce fields with similar soil type, but differing in the presence or absence or LNSV infected lettuce. Complete soil profiles identified soil salinity as the predominant factor differing between diseased and disease-free fields. Greenhouse studies, conducted in well-drained soil, as well as saturated soil, examined the effect of soil salinity on virus infection of lettuce. Results indicate that variation in soil salinity influences LNSV infection of lettuce and the development of lettuce dieback symptoms.