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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Corvallis, Oregon » Horticultural Crops Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #327038
Title: Blueberry fruit drop associated virus: A new member of the family Caulimoviridae isolated from blueberry exhibiting fruit drop symptoms

Author
item DIAZ-LARA, ALFREDO - Oregon State University
item Martin, Robert

Submitted to: Plant Disease
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/27/2016
Publication Date: 11/1/2016
Citation: Diaz-Lara, A., Martin, R.R. 2016. Blueberry fruit drop associated virus: A new member of the family Caulimoviridae isolated from blueberry exhibiting fruit drop symptoms. Plant Disease. 100(11):2211-2214. doi: 10.1094/PDIS-06-16-0792-RE.

Interpretive Summary: This study describes a new DNA virus isolated from blueberry plants that develop a nearly complete fruit drop symptom and the name Blueberry fruit drop associated virus (BFDaV) is proposed. This disease, named blueberry fruit drop, was first detected in blueberry plants cv. ‘Bluecrop’ in British Columbia, Canada in the late 1990’s, and later in northern Washington state in the U.S. In spring, young leaves and the corolla of flowers develop a vein reddening, which disappears from the leaves as they mature and is not obvious by early June. Diseased bushes lose nearly 100% of their fruit about three weeks prior to harvest, when the berries are about 3-5 mm in diameter and at harvest the affected plants appear taller than healthy ones as there is no fruit weighing down the branches. The virus was amplified from infected tissue using rolling circle amplification and then cloned and sequenced. BFDaV has a genome of 9,850 bp in length, and that codes for a protein, which is subsequently cleaved to produce three proteins that are present in all viruses in this family (Caulimoviridae). BFDaV is unique in terms of genome size and sequence and it is proposed that it represents a new genus in the Caulimoviridae. Detection analyses showed a significant correlation of this virus with the fruit drop symptoms and confirmed the presence of the virus in commercial fields the Fraser River Valley in the U.S. and Canada. At this time the virus has only been detected in the blueberry cultivar 'Bluecrop' and is limited to the Fraser River Valley. Testing for this virus has been added to certification programs to ensure it does not become more widespread and eradication of the virus is being explored since it has very limited distribution.

Technical Abstract: This study describes the nucleotide sequence and genome organization of a new DNA virus isolated from ‘Bluecrop’ blueberry plants named Blueberry fruit drop associated virus (BFDaV). Infected bushes lose nearly 100% of their fruit prior to harvest, and in springtime young leaves and flowers develop a vein reddening. The virus was amplified from diseased material using rolling circle amplification, followed by enzyme digestion, cloning and sequencing. The full genome of BFDaV is 9,850 base pairs in length, which comprises a single open reading frame (ORF), encoding for a polyprotein and a large noncoding region. Based on the level of sequence homology, phylogenetics and genome size, BFDaV is proposed as a new and the largest member of the family Caulimoviridae. Finally, detection analyses showed a significant correlation of this virus with the fruit drop symptoms and confirmed the presence of the virus in commercial fields in U.S. and Canada.