Incidence of Viruses Infecting Allium Spp. in Greece

A survey identified viruses infecting garlic, leek and onion crops and wild Allium species in Greece. Virus identification was based on ELISA, immunoelectron microscopy, and occasionally on RT-PCR. Samples of cultivated Allium species were collected from five districts, whereas samples of twenty-seven wild Allium species were also collected from all over Greece. Onion yellow dwarfvirus (OYDV) and Leek yellow stripe virus (LYSV) were identified in 98.5% and 83.7% of all samples, respectively, and were found in all regions. Allexiviruses were also detected in all regions and their incidence ranged from 62.5% to 70.5% (depending on region and type of allexivirus). Garlic common latent virus (GCLV) was detected in samples from Arcadia (97.6%) and Evia (18.0%) and in one field in Larissa (23.0%). Shallot latent virus (SLV) was found only in two areas (Evros and Theva) and in fields planted with imported propagative material, from Iran and China. The incidence of virus-like symptoms in leek crops ranged from 10.0% to 90.0% in different regions and fields and all symptomatic plants were found to be infected by LYSV. Onion yellow dwarf virus was only found in seven symptomatic onion samples from southern Greece. Allium ampeloprasum spp. ampeloprasum and Allium flavum, were the only wild Allium species found to be infected with LYSV. Finally Turnip mosaic virus (TuMV) was found in A. sphaerocephalon, A. guttatum, A. subhirsutum, and A. neapolitanum.