Natural Infection of Wheat by the Type Strain of Soil-borne Wheat Mosaic Virus in a Field in Southern Germany

Molecular analyses revealed that a virus causing a severe disease of wheat in one field in Southern Germany is closely related to the Nebraska type strain of Soil-borne wheat mosaic virus (SBWMV) and only distantly related to Soil-borne cereal mosaic virus that is widely distributed in Europe. The latter virus was not found in the SBWMV-containing leaf samples. This is the first report of the occurrence of SBWMV in Germany, and perhaps in all of Europe, which has been confirmed on the molecular level.