Seed and pollen transmission of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Apple latent spherical virus</Emphasis> in apple

To examine whether Apple latent spherical virus (ALSV) has spread among apple trees in an orchard, we surveyed 21 apple trees surrounding two ALSV-infected trees for virus infection using a double-antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (DAS-ELISA). None of the 21 trees were infected, indicating that ALSV has not spread from the infected trees to the neighboring apple trees since it was first detected in 1984. We analyzed seed embryos and seedlings derived from infected trees and detected ALSV in 10 of 223 seed embryos (4.5%) and 10 of 227 seedlings (4.4%). From these results, we conclude that ALSV is seed-transmitted at a rate of ca. 4.5% in apple. We also analyzed seed embryos and seedlings from uninfected apple trees that were hand-pollinated with pollen from infected trees. We detected ALSV in only 1 of 260 seed embryos and in none of the 227 apple seedlings. This result indicated that the seed transmission rate via infected pollen is only 0–0.38%. In situ hybridization analysis of ALSV-infected apple flower buds showed that ALSV was present inside almost all pollen grains and in all ovary and ovule tissues, including the embryo sac and inner integument.     

Apple necrotic mosaic virus,a novel ilarvirus from mosaic-diseased apple trees in Japan and China

The causal agent of apple mosaic disease has been previously thought to be solely caused by apple mosaic virus (ApMV). In this study, we report that a novel ilarvirus is also associated with apple mosaic disease. Next-generation sequencing analysis of an apple tree showing mosaic symptoms revealed that the tree was infected with three apple latent viruses (apple stem pitting virus, apple stem grooving virus, and apple chlorotic leaf spot virus) and a novel ilarvirus (given the name apple necrotic mosaic virus (ApNMV)) that is closely related to Prunus necrotic ringspot virus (PNRSV) and ApMV. The genome of ApNMV consists of RNA1 (3378 nt), RNA2 (2767 nt), and RNA3 (1956 nt). A phylogenetic analysis based on the coat protein amino acid sequences indicated that the novel virus belongs to the same subgroup 3 of the genus Ilarvirus as PNRSV and ApMV. The presence of mosaic leaves, which tend to be unevenly distributed in diseased apple trees, was correlated with the internal distribution of ApNMV. RT-PCR detection of mosaic-diseased apple trees in Japan indicated that ApNMV was detected in apple trees introduced from China, whereas ApMV was detected from cultivated apple trees in domestic orchards. Consistent with these findings, a survey of mosaic-diseased apple trees in major apple-producing provinces in China revealed that the majority of apple trees showing mosaic symptoms in China are infected with ApNMV.     

Incidence and natural spread of apple mosaic ilarvirus in hazel in north-east Spain

Apple mosaic ilarvirus (ApMV) was detected in all (160) hazel ( Corylus avellana ) cv. Negret orchards assayed in Catalonia, north-east Spain, during 1997 and 1998. In a preliminary survey, using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), only 9 of the 320 samples collected appeared free from ApMV and three of these individuals indexed ELISA positives when re-tested. The spread of ApMV was studied in a plantation of Negret hazel in which virus-free trees were randomly interspersed with graft-inoculated individuals. When tested by ELISA 10 years after planting, 15% of the ungrafted trees contained ApMV. At that time, 8% of seeds on ungrafted and virus-free trees and 54% of seeds on ApMV-inoculated trees indexed ApMV-positive. These results are discussed in terms of pollen-mediated inoculation.     

苹果脱毒技术研究进展

苹果（Malus pumila Mill.）普遍感染病毒。目前, 培育无病毒原种母本树, 建立用于繁殖接穗和营养系砧木的母本园, 栽植无病毒苗木, 是防治病毒病的根本措施。本文针对常见的4 种苹果病毒及1 种类病毒, 综述了茎尖培养、热处理、化学处理、微茎尖嫁接以及低温处理脱除苹果病毒方法的研究进展, 分析了不同方法的应用效果, 及所适合脱除的病毒种类, 以期为我国苹果病毒脱除技术研究提供参考信息。     

加强果树规范化采样和病毒检测,降低潜隐和危险性病毒对我国苹果产业的危害风险

苹果病毒病在世界各苹果产区广泛发生,危害严重,目前没有有效的防治药剂。苹果病毒具有潜隐危害、主要以嫁接方式传播的特点。危险性高的类病毒侵染导致苹果果实几乎失去经济价值。苹果病毒的检测是防止其传播和危害,繁育无病毒苗木和苹果树无毒化管理的一项关键技术。由于对病毒在苹果树体中的组织分布和浓度认知不到位,苹果病毒检测中存在样品采集和检测方法的误区。本文根据课题组十年来开展苹果病毒检测和研究工作的数据,简要概述了我国苹果病毒的发生危害特点,苹果病毒检测方法,详细给出了规范的样品采集、处理、总RNA提取、RT-PCR参数、检测引物、对照设置及检测结果判别的技术方法。     

Hippeastrum mosaic virus and another filamentous virus in Eucharis grandiflora

Two viruses were found in mosaic-diseased plants ofEucharis grandiflora in a glasshouse of the laboratory. One virus with a normal particle length of 733 nm caused local lesions onHyoscyamus niger and mosaic symptoms in leaves of healthy-lookingEucharis andHippeastrum plants. On the basis of its host range, physical properties and serology it was identified asHippeastrum mosaic virus, a member of the potyvirus group. This was confirmed by the presence of spherical nuclear inclusions and pinwheels in different tissues of diseasedEucharis plants. The second virus with a normal particle length of 598 nm was present in both healthy-looking and mosaic-diseasedEucharis plants, and it inconsistently induced local lesions onGomphrena globosa. According to its morphology and its reaction onGomphrena, it might be identical or related toHippeastrum latent virus. Crystal-like inclusions were observed in the cytoplasm of cells of both healthy-looking and mosaic-showingEucharis leaves. As no virus-free seedlings ofEucharis were available, the virus nature of these inclusions could not be established.     

Molecular variability of Apple chlorotic leaf spot virus in Shaanxi,China

Apple chlorotic leaf spot virus (ACLSV) is one of the latent viruses that occur in apple orchards worldwide but usually without visible symptoms. In 2010–2012, a total of 550 apple leaf samples from 12 different major apple-producing areas in Shaanxi, China, were tested by serological assay for ACLSV; the results revealed an infection level of 51.5 %. Because of the known variability in the putative amino acid sequences of the coat protein (CP), and thus the potential for non-detection by serological assay, the molecular variability of isolates of ACLSV collected in Shaanxi was analyzed using PCR and compared with isolates from the rest of the world. Sequences of 504 nt corresponding to 87 % of the CP gene of 12 isolates were acquired by RT-PCR and deposited in GenBank with the accession numbers KF134387–KF134298. Comparisons of the partial CP gene sequences of these 12 isolates as well as isolates previously reported in the world revealed the pairwise identities ranging from 68.9–99.8 % and 73.8–100 % at the nucleotide and amino acid level, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis based on these nucleotide sequences showed that the 72 isolates deposited in GenBank fell into three groups (P205, B6 and Ta Tao 5 Group). Our 12 ACLSV isolates were separated into the P205 and B6 groups, respectively. Multiple alignment analysis of the amino acid sequences of CP revealed that there was a combination of six amino acids at positions 40, 59, 75, 86, 130 and 184 in isolates from each group that could be used to distinguish among the three groups. Two recombination events were identified from all isolates by recombination analysis, and three ACLSV isolates collected in this study participated in these two events. Our results show that molecular variation was present in isolates of ACLSV collected in Shaanxi province and this may reflect introductions of the virus associated with different sources of germplasm.     

Detection and occurrence of melon yellow spot virus in Ecuador: an emerging threat to cucurbit production in the region

More than fifty viruses have been reported in cucurbit crops worldwide. In Ecuador, approximately 3,000 ha of watermelon, melon and cucumbers are cultivated annually, but there have been few studies to identify viruses responsible for epidemics. During this study, sequencing of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) extracted from watermelon and melon leaves showing virus-like symptoms revealed the presence of Melon yellow spot virus (MYSV, genus Tospovirus) and the partially described Cucumis melo endornavirus (CmEV). Specific primers, designed to detect each virus, showed that MYSV was present in 40, 64 and 67 % of symptomatic watermelon, cucumber and melon samples, respectively. For CmEV, 95 % of both symptomatic and asymptomatic melon plants tested positive. However, the virus was not detected in watermelon or cucumber. Sequence comparisons showed nucleotide identities of 97 % and 94 % for the polymerase and the nucleocapsid protein, respectively, between the Ecuadorean MYSV and the one reported from Japan. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of MYSV and CmEV in Ecuador and the Americas.     

Detection and partial molecular characterization of Plum pox virus on almond trees in Turkey

Almond (Prunus dulcis) is one of the well known stone fruit species grown for its unripe fruits and delicious seeds in Turkey. In the Trakya region, however, some prevailing virus infections have reduced almond yields and quality. In ten districts of Trakya, 260 leaf samples were collected from affected almond trees in June 2010. DAS–ELISA assays and RT-PCR tests were employed for the identification of viruses. As a result of these detection studies, five of the 260 leaf samples gathered from symptomatic almond trees had Plum pox virus (PPV), 81 of them had Prunus necrotic ringspot virus (PNRSV), and 11 samples contained Prune dwarf virus (PDV). Only four out of 260 samples had a mixture of these viruses. Partial nucleotide sequences of five almond isolates of PPV were determined and compared with 17 other PPV isolates in databases. Computer analysis of obtained and published nucleotide sequences showed identity ranged from 75.72% to 96.87%. Of the five PPV almond isolates obtained, however, there was a close nucleotide identity of 95.82–96.61% to Turkish isolates. Phylogenetic analysis of nucleotides and amino acids showed that five PPV isolates of almond from the Trakya Region of Turkey were clustered in the same subgroup with PPV-T Turkish isolates in GenBank. Therefore we can consider almond isolates of PPV as PPV-T strain, like the two other isolates from apricot trees in Turkey.     

Exogenous application of melatonin improves eradication of apple stem grooving virus from the infected in vitro shoots by shoot tip culture

Production and maintenance of virus-free planting materials is pivotal for the control of viral diseases. The present study attempted to test exogenous application of melatonin for eradication of apple stem grooving virus (ASGV) from virus-infected in vitro shoots of apple cultivar Gala. Exogenous application of 15 μm melatonin to the shoot proliferation medium significantly increased the number of shoots and shoot length. The level of endogenous indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) was the highest in the shoots proliferating on the shoot proliferation medium containing 15 μm melatonin. Shoot regrowth levels were significantly higher in shoot tips of the virus-infected shoots cultured for 4 weeks on this medium than the control. In addition, culture of shoot tips of the virus-infected in vitro shoots proliferated for 4 weeks on this medium resulted in 95% of shoots being virus-free, while no virus-free shoots were obtained in shoot tips of the virus-infected shoots cultured without melatonin. Analyses by microtissue direct RT-PCR and RT-qPCR showed that ASGV concentration decreased in shoot tips of the virus-infected shoots proliferating on the medium containing 15 μm melatonin for 4 weeks. Virus localization showed that exogenous application of melatonin enlarged the virus-free area in the virus-infected shoot tips. These data provide explanations as to why exogenous application of melatonin can efficiently eradicate ASGV. Exogenous application of melatonin provides an alternative means for plant virus eradication and has the potential to produce virus-free plants.     

A sensitive method for detecting bamboo mosaic virus (BaMV) and establishment of BaMV-free meristem-tip cultures

A sensitive method was used to detect bamboo mosaic virus (BaMV) and its associated satellite RNA (satBaMV) by ³²P- and digoxigenin (Dig)-labelled probes synthesized from cDNA clones of BaMV genomic (L probe) and satBaMV (S probe) RNA. Both the ³²P- and Dig-labelled L and S probes could detect as little as 490 pg of BaMV viral RNA by slot- and dot-blot hybridization. In infected leaf extracts, ³²P-labelled L and S probes detected virus at 25-fold higher dilutions than Dig-labelled probes, which were also successfully used to detect BaMV infection in plants derived from meristem-tip culture. However, immunoassays failed to detect BaMV in meristem culture. By dot-blot hybridization assays, 25% of the seedlings were shown to be virus-free. These results suggest that a highly sensitive method for the detection of BaMV infection is required for the establishment of BaMV-free cultures. Meristem-tip culture also provides an efficient method for obtaining virus-free bamboo plants.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Indian citrus ringspot virus:</Emphasis> localization of virus in seed tissues and evidence for lack of seed transmission

Indian citrus ringspot disease is an important viral disease in kinnow mandarin orchards where disease incidence up to 100% has been recorded. The disease is caused by Indian citrus ringspot virus (ICRSV), a positive sense flexuous RNA virus. The transmission of ICRSV is generally through budwood. Association of ICRSV with pollens of naturally infected flowers from cv. ‘Kinnow’ mandarins has been shown previously and this study demonstrates the presence of ICRSV in seed tissues. DAC-ELISA revealed the presence of virus in seed coats but not in embryo and endosperm of seeds collected from the fruits of ICRSV-infected Kinnow plants. Of the infected seed coats, 18% were found to harbor the virus. The seedlings in the grow-out test did not show any symptom for 2 years and the virus could not be detected in seedlings by DAC-ELISA and RT-PCR. The present study indicated that ICRSV could be localized in the testa of seeds but its transmission to progeny was not observed.     

Epidemiological aspects of mango malformation disease caused by Fusarium mangiferae and source of infection in seedlings cultivated in orchards in Egypt

Mango malformation, caused by the fungus Fusarium mangiferae , is one of the major diseases of this crop occurring worldwide. This study was conducted to investigate aspects of the epidemiology, survival and spread of the pathogen in general and specifically in seedlings, the majority of which are cultivated in infected orchards in Egypt. Survival of conidia of a representative isolate (506/2) declined very rapidly in soil under summer conditions (1·6 weeks for 50% population decline), but significantly less in controlled and winter conditions (17·9 and 15·0 weeks, respectively, for 50% population decline). Likewise, inoculum survival in naturally infected panicles on the soil surface declined faster than in those buried at 30-cm depths. Natural infections were evaluated on fruits and seeds in a heavily infected and a healthy orchard. In infected trees, the skins of all sampled fruits within a 2-m radius of infected panicles were infected, but the pathogen was not detected in the seeds, seed coats or flesh. The pathogen was not detected in any parts of fruits from a healthy orchard. Vegetatively malformed mango seedlings, growing under infected trees bearing infected panicles, were sampled in two locations in Egypt to determine whether infection in seedlings was systemic (evenly distributed within plant tissue) or whether the pathogen originated from malformed panicles. According to PCR-specific primer amplification, the pathogen was detected in 97% of seedling apical meristems, declining gradually to 5% colonization in roots. It was concluded that inoculum of the pathogen originates from infected panicles and affects seedlings from the meristem, with infections descending to lower stem sections and roots. Minor infections of roots may occur from inoculum originating from infected panicles, but the pathogen is not seedborne.     

Development of a method for detection of latent European fruit tree canker (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Neonectria ditissima</Emphasis>) infections in apple and pear nurseries

Fruit tree canker caused by Neonectria ditissima is a serious problem in apple-producing regions with moderate temperatures and high rainfall throughout the year; especially in northwestern Europe, Chile, and New Zealand. Control measures are applied to protect primary infection sites, mainly leaf scars, from invasion by external inoculum. However, latent infections may occur when young apple trees are infected symptomlessly during propagation. This study aimed to develop a method for detection of latent fruit tree canker infections. Inoculations with conidiospore suspensions of N. ditissima were carried out in tree nurseries on the main stems of two-year-old trees of three apple cultivars and one pear cultivar. The inoculations were carried out during the natural abscission period in the autumn. No visible lesion or canker formations were present at the time when the inoculated trees were uprooted. It appeared that the infections may remain latent during the period from infection to uprooting (2 months) and during the subsequent 4 months of cold storage of the trees. Nevertheless, symptoms were generally induced within 8 weeks after transfer of infecting planting material from the nursery field into a climate chamber with high temperature and high relative humidity. The methodology presented is developed to detect latent infections of N. ditissima in nursery trees, prior to planting in the orchards, and it may contribute in reducing the problem with European fruit tree canker in commercial production.     

The occurrence of a soluble protein (E1) in cucumber cotyledons infected with plant viruses

Analysis on polyacrylamide gels of the soluble protein fraction of cucumber cotyledons infected with tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) revealed a stimulated protein component, designated as protein E₁. The amount of protein E₁ was related to the size and number of local lesions produced on the inoculated cotyledons. Protein E₁ stained positive for carbohydrate and could be partly purified by gel filtration on Sephadex G 100. The molecular weight was estimated to be approximately 22000 d. Protein E₁ seems to be serologically unrelated to any of the structural proteins of TSWV. Following inoculation of cucumber cotyledons with the yellow strain of cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), a protein with identical mobility on 7.5 and 10% polycrylamide gels to protein E₁ was detected. These proteins are probably identical and their accumulation is a result of the infection process. There was a close correspondence between the amount of protein E₁ and the severity of symptom expression. A protein with a mobility differing slightly from protein E₁ occurred in the soluble protein fraction ofNicotiana rustica after infection with either TSWV or tobacco mosaic virus.     

Infection criteria,inoculum sources and splash dispersal pattern of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Colletotrichum acutatum</Emphasis> causing bitter rot of apple in New Zealand

Infection of Malus x domestica cv. Royal Gala fruit by Colletotrichum acutatum causing bitter rot was studied in the temperate climate of New Zealand. Temperatures above 15 °C were required for lesions to develop on detached apple wound-inoculated or inoculated without wounding with C. acutatum spores, regardless of maturity. A wetness period of 72 h was required for infection of mature detached apple fruit without wounding. On wound-inoculated detached apple fruits, sporulation was related to temperature and followed a similar pattern. In the field, a mean temperature above 15 °C for 72 h after wound-inoculation was required for lesions to develop. Buds were a more important source of inoculum than twigs, and it was shown that C. acutatum could be isolated more frequently from outer bud scales than from inner scales. Asymptomatic infection of vegetative and reproductive buds was detected. C. acutatum was detected on asymptomic surface-sterilised petals and fruit, more commonly during summer than spring. Symptomless sterilised leaves generally yielded C. acutatum throughout the season, but isolations were more frequent in summer. Recovery of inoculum using a splash meter to detect vertical dispersal showed that in summer inoculum was primarily splashed up from the ground. In spring, inoculum was recovered in similar quantities from all heights up to a metre, suggesting that splash dispersal occurs from the canopy as well as from the ground. A disease cycle for C. acutatum infecting apples and causing bitter rot in New Zealand is suggested.