HortScience (2000) 35, 1279-1282

M. Zeidan, Noga Sikron, J. Cohen and A. Gera (2000)
Improved detection of petunia vein clearing caulimovirus
HortScience 35 (7), 1279-1282
Abstract: Petunia vein clearing virus (PVCV), a possible member of the caulimovirus group, was detected in several cultivars of vegetatively propagated petunias (Petunia xhybrida Hort. Volm.-Andr.) grown in commercial nurseries. Leaf dip preparations and ultrathin sections of leaf tissue were analyzed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Spherical virus particles, 45-50 nm in diameter, were observed in samples taken from symptomatic petunia plants. The virus was purified and a polyclonal antiserum was prepared. In immuno-specific electron microscopy (ISEM), the PVCV antiserum-treated samples reacted with a distinct decoration on the virus suspect particles. A polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based assay was used to detect PVCV in total nucleic acid extracts derived from infected petunia plants. Two primer pairs were designed to flank a 736-base-pair sequence located in the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase gene of the PVCV genome. A DNA fragment of predicted size was visualized in agarose gels. The authenticity of the amplified DNA fragment was confirmed by restriction analysis and by hybridization with the virus-specific PVCV DNA probe. The virus could be detected efficiently in high dilutions of sap extracted from infected petunia plants.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Database assignments for author(s): Abed Gera

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
surveys/sampling/distribution
identification/taxonomy

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Petuvirus venapetuniae	Petunia (crop)