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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Corvallis, Oregon » Horticultural Crops Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #171052
Title: FIRST REPORT OF BLUEBERRY SCORCH VIRUS IN CRANBERRY IN CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES

Author
item WEGENER, LISA - SIMON FRASIER UNIVERSITY
item PUNJA, ZAMIR - SIMON FRASIER UNIVERSITY
item Martin, Robert

Submitted to: Plant Disease
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/13/2004
Publication Date: 4/1/2004
Citation: Wegener, L., Punja, Z., Martin, R.R. 2004. First report of blueberry scorch virus in cranberry in Canada and the United States. Plant Disease. 88(4):427.

Interpretive Summary: Cranberry was tested for Blueberry scorch virus (BlScV) in an attempt to understand the difference in the virus's epidemiology between British Columbia, Canada and Oregon and Washington, US. In B.C., there has been an epidemic of BlScV over the last three years, while there has been virtually no spread of the virus detected in Oregon or Washington. A major difference is the close proximity of cranberry production to blueberry plantings in B.C. that is rare in Oregon or Washington. In a limited survey of cranberry bogs, the incidence of BlScV in cranberry was about the same in each area, B.C. 7/42, WA 3/18, OR 2/18 bogs tested positive for BlScV. Nucleic acid was extracted from samples in B.C. and Washington, and a portion of the genome was sequenced. Results showed that the BlScV in cranberry was very similar to the published sequence of BlScV from New Jersey. This is the first report of BlScV in cranberry, and may explain the rapid increase in BlScV in B.C. over the last three years.

Technical Abstract: Blueberry scorch disease, caused by carlavirus Blueberry scorch virus (BlScV), is a serious disease of highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) in North America. Symptoms of BlScV infection in highbush blueberry include necrosis of flower blossoms and young leaves, shoot blight and death, and chlorosis. In June 2003, BlScV was detected for the first time in cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon L.) in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada by double antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (DAS-ELISA). Ten uprights were sampled from different locations in a bog adjacent to a severely infected blueberry field, seven of which tested positive by DAS-ELISA. To confirm infection, total nucleic acid was extracted from infected cranberry leaf tissue. Primers were developed against the published NJ-2 sequence of BlScV (GenBank Accession No. NC_003499) and used in reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to amplify a portion of the coat protein gene of BlScV. The expected amplification product of 926 base pairs was sequenced and showed 87% identity at the nucleotide level and 94% at the amino acid level when compared with the published NJ-2 sequence. Following PCR confirmation, a random survey of cranberry bogs in the Pacific Northwest region of North America was conducted. Testing revealed the presence of BlScV in 7/42 bogs tested in British Columbia, 2/12 bogs in Oregon and 3/18 bogs in Washington. Nucleotide sequencing of RT-PCR products from cranberry in Washington showed 87% and 96% identity at the nucleotide and amino acid level respectively. At present, BlScV appears to be latent in cranberry. The potential for infection of other Vaccinium species, such as lowbush blueberry (V. pallidum L.) needs to be investigated.