Preliminary evaluation of the status of olive-infecting viruses in Syria |
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| Authors: | A Al Abdullah T El Beaino M Saponari H Hallak M Digiaro |
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| Institution: | Istituto Agronomico Mediterraneo, Via Ceglie 9, 70010 Valenzano, Bari (Italy); Dipartimento di Protezione delle Piante e Microbiologia Applicata, Universitàdegli Studi and Istituto di Virologia Vegetale del CNR, Bari (Italy); Department of Olive Research, GCSAR, Idleb (Syria) |
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| Abstract: | Field surveys of 80 commercial groves were made in autumn 2003 in six major Syrian olive-growing regions. A total of 300 olive samples, representative of the main cultivars grown in the country, were collected. As ascertained by dsRNA analysis, 54 out of 125 samples (about 43%) showed visible bands in polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. All samples were tested by RT-PCR for the presence of the following viruses: Arabis mosaic virus (ArMV), Cherry leaf roll virus (CLRV), Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), Olive latent ringspot virus (OLRSV), Olive latent virus 1 (OLV-1), Olive latent virus 2 (OLV-2), Olive leaf yellowing-associated virus (OLYaV) and Strawberry latent ringspot virus (SLRSV). All these viruses, singly or in mixed infection, were detected in about 51% of the samples. CMV was the most prevalent (22.7%), followed by CLRV (15%), OLYaV (14.3%) and OLRSV (11.5%). Less represented were the remaining four viruses. Infection rates ranged from 44% in Dara'a region to 67% in Latakia and Hama. |
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