Plant Pathology (2006) 55, p. 818 (Parrella et al.)

G. Parrella, A. De Stradis and M. Giorgini (2006)
Sweet potato feathery mottle virus is the casual agent of sweetpotato virus disease in Italy
Plant Pathology 55 (6), 818-818
Abstract: Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) plants with virus-like symptoms were observed in many fields in Latina province, Central Italy in 2005. The percentage of diseased plants ranged from 30 to 60% and symptoms consisted of vein clearing and leaf chlorotic spots, followed by general leaf yellowing, leaf area reduction, plant stunting, with a significant reduction of tuber size. Infected plants contained elongated virus particles with a length of about 840 nm. Test by immuno-electron microscopy (IEM) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), using a panel of antibodies to several sweet potato viruses, gave a weak reaction only with Sweet potato feathery mottle virus (SPFMV). The presence of SPFMV was confirmed using RT-PCR amplification on total RNA extracted from symptomatic leaves. An amplification product of approximately 1570 bp was produced only from samples with symptoms but not from healthy controls. Analysis of the sequenced amplicon revealed the highest percentage of identity (94%) with the Sor isolate of SPFMV from Uganda. Further analysis of the Italian isolate (designated SPFMV-Ita1) indicated that SPFMV-Ital belongs to SPFMV subgroup C. SPFMV has not previously been reported from Italy.
(The abstract has been supplied by the author or ISPI and is excluded from the Creative Commons licence.)
Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Giuseppe Parrella, Angelo De Stradis

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

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Sweet potato feathery mottle virus	Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas)	Italy