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Title: TRANSMISSION OF PRUNUS NECROTIC RINGSPOT VIRUS INTO THREE PEACH CULTIVARS, MEASURED BY RNA HYBRIDIZATION FOLLOWING IN VITRO MICROGRAFTING

Author
item HEUSS, K - 1275-11-00
item LIU, Q - 1275-11-00
item Hammond, Rosemarie
item Hammerschlag, Freddi

Submitted to: Temperate Fruit Crop Viruses and Virus Diseases
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/30/1997
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: As part of our program to develop transgenic peach cultivars with improved disease resistance, we showed that grafting of in vitro cultured "Suncrest" peach [Prunus persica (L.) Batsch] tips onto decapitated stems of Prunus necrotic ringspot virus (PNRSV)-infected "Suncrest" shoot cultures, resulted in consistent transfer of virus across grafts as demonstrated by RNA hybridization analysis, suggesting that such a system could be useful for measuring resistance to PNRSV in peach shoot cultures. We have extended these studies to include grafts of "Springcrest" and "Nemaguard" test tips onto "Suncrest" stocks. RNA hybridization analysis showed that PNRSV persists in shoot cultures for 18 months after initiation from PNRSV-infected "Suncrest" trees and after 16 weeks of treatment at 4 C in the dark, suggesting that a supply of infected shoot cultures could be maintained for repeated use. Graft success of grafts of "Springcrest" onto "Suncrest" and "Nemaguard" onto "Suncrest", equalled or exceeded success rates for "Suncrest" onto "Suncrest". Virus was transmitted from infected stocks into "Suncrest", "Springcrest", and "Nemaguard" test tips by two weeks in most successful micrografts. There was no significant difference in the virus concentrations among the three scions at two, four, six weeks after grafting, suggesting that there is equal efficacy of virus transfer through grafts from "Suncrest" to the three cultivars, and that no differences in resistance to PNRSV exist among these cultivars.