Epidemiology of Blackberry yellow vein associated virus

Blackberry yellow vein disease is one of the most important diseases of blackberry in the United States. Several viruses are found associated with the symptomology but Blackberry yellow vein associated virus (BYVaV) appears to be the most prevalent of all, leading to the need for a better understanding of its epidemiology. Efficient detection protocols were developed using end-point and quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. A multi-state survey was performed on wild and cultivated blackberry to assess the geographical distribution of the virus. Two whitefly species, Trialeurodes abutilonea and T. vaporariorum, were identified as vectors and 25 plant species were tested as potential BYVaV hosts. The information obtained in this study can be used at multiple levels to better understand and control blackberry yellow vein disease.

Co-Infection by Two Criniviruses Alters Accumulation of Each Virus in a Host-Specific Manner and Influences Efficiency of Virus Transmission

Tomato chlorosis virus (ToCV), and Tomato infectious chlorosis virus (TICV), family Closteroviridae, genus Crinivirus, cause interveinal chlorosis, leaf brittleness, and limited necrotic flecking or bronzing on tomato leaves. Both viruses cause a decline in plant vigor and reduce fruit yield, and are emerging as serious production problems for field and greenhouse tomato growers in many parts of the world. The viruses have been found together in tomato, indicating that infection by one Crinivirus sp. does not prevent infection by a second. Transmission efficiency and virus persistence in the vector varies significantly among the four different whitefly vectors of ToCV; Bemisia tabaci biotypes A and B, Trialeurodes abutilonea, and T. vaporariorum. Only T. vaporariorum can transmit TICV. In order to elucidate the effects of co-infection on Crinivirus sp. accumulation and transmission efficiency, we established Physalis wrightii and Nicotiana benthamiana source plants, containing either TICV or ToCV alone or both viruses together. Vectors were allowed to feed separately on all virus sources, as well as virus-free plants, then were transferred to young plants of both host species. Plants were tested by quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction, and results indicated host-specific differences in accumulation by TICV and ToCV and alteration of accumulation patterns during co-infection compared with single infection. In N. benthamiana, TICV titers increased during co-infection compared with levels in single infection, while ToCV titers decreased. However, in P. wrightii, titers of both TICV and ToCV decreased during mixed infection compared with single infection, although to different degrees. Vector transmission efficiency of both viruses corresponded with virus concentration in the host in both single and mixed infections. This illustrates that Crinivirus epidemiology is impacted not only by vector transmission specificity and incidence of hosts but also by interactions between viruses and efficiency of accumulation in host plants.

Vector Specificity, Host Range, and Genetic Diversity of Tomato chlorosis virus

Tomato chlorosis virus (ToCV), family Closteroviridae, genus Crinivirus, causes interveinal chlorosis, leaf brittleness, and limited necrotic flecking or leaf bronzing on tomato leaves. ToCV can cause a decline in plant vigor and reduce fruit yield. It is emerging as a serious production problem for field and greenhouse tomato growers, and has been increasing in prevalence in many parts of the world. The virus is unique among known whitefly-transmitted viruses, due to its ability to be transmitted by four whitefly vectors from two genera. Studies demonstrated that transmission efficiency and virus persistence in the vector varies significantly among the different whitefly vectors. Trialeurodes abutilonea and Bemisia tabaci biotype B are highly efficient vectors of ToCV. B. tabaci biotype A and T. vaporariorum are less efficient vectors, but are fully capable of transmission. ToCV persists for up to 5 days in T. abutilonea, 2 days in B. tabaci biotype B, and only 1 day in B. tabaci biotype A and T. vaporariorum. ToCV has a moderately wide host range, infecting 24 host plant species in seven families. A portion of the coat protein coding region of five geographically diverse ToCV isolates was compared and found to be highly conserved. This information, coupled with existing information on conservation within the heat shock protein 70 homologue coding region, suggests that many ToCV isolates throughout the world are related very closely, and may have been distributed on plant material.

Whitefly Transmission of Sweetpotato chlorotic stunt virus

The genus Crinivirus of the plant virus family Closteroviridae include members that are bipartite and whitefly-transmitted (2). The Crinivirus, Sweetpotato chlorotic stunt virus (SPCSV), was described from sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas) in Nigeria (1). Vector transmission studies of SPCSV were conducted using two whitefly species, the sweetpotato whitefly (Bemisia tabaci biotype B) and the bandedwinged whitefly (Trialeurodes abutilonea). Whitefly colonies were reared in the laboratory on cotton plants in plexiglass cages. To evaluate transmission efficiency, single whiteflies were used in all experiments. Whiteflies were given 2-day acquisition access periods on I. batatas cv. White Bunch co-infected with SPCSV and Sweetpotato feathery mottle virus (SPFMV). Single whiteflies were then placed on individual healthy I. nil cv. Scarlet O'Hara seedlings for 2-day inoculation access periods. Plants then were sprayed with imidacloprid insecticide and placed in the greenhouse. Four independent tests were performed with each whitefly species. Seven to 10 days after exposing test plants to B. tabaci, 6 of 35, 4 of 28, 5 of 30, and 3 of 25 I. nil plants showed symptoms that consisted of leaf distortion and yellowing. In similar experiments conducted with T. abutilonea, 1 of 33, 0 of 32, 1 of 30, and 2 of 28 I. nil plants showed symptoms. Two weeks after inoculations, reverse transcription- polymerase chain reaction assays were performed with all 22 symptomatic and five randomly selected symptomless plants using primers that amplify the SPCSV heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) homolog gene fragment (446 bp). All 22 symptomatic plants were positive while the five symptomless plants tested were negative. Lower transmission rates were obtained with T. abutilonea (3.2%) when compared with B. tabaci (15.2%). These two whiteflies are present in sweetpotato fields in Louisiana and may play an important role in the spread of SPCSV. This represents the first report of transmission of SPCSV by the bandedwinged whitefly References: (1) S. Winter et al. Phytopathology 82:869–875, 1992. (2) G. C. Wisler et al. Plant Dis. 82:270–280, 1998.

Abundance of Two Whitefly Species (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) on Georgia Soybean

‘Braxton’ and ‘Cobb’ soybeans were surveyed every 7 to 10 days from mid-July through September, 1993 and 1994, to determine the seasonal abundance of the silverleaf whitefly, Bemisia argentifolii Bellows and Perring, and the bandedwinged whitefly, Trialeurodes abutilonea (Haldeman). Population densities peaked in early September 1993, at over 31 eggs and nymphs per 2.54 cm2 of leaf area on Cobb soybeans (a Maturity Group VIII variety), and 15 eggs and nymphs on Braxton soybeans (a Maturity Group VII variety). Silverleaf whitefly was the predominant species on all sampling dates throughout the season. At the population peak, there were 14.4 silverleaf whitefly and 3.3 bandedwinged whitefly nymphs per 2.54 cm2 on Cobb and 8.8 silverleaf whitefly and 2.0 bandedwinged whitefly nymphs on Braxton. Whitefly population densities peaked in late September 1994, at over 6 eggs and 59 nymphs on Cobb and 1 egg and 18 nymphs on Braxton. The whitefly population in 1994 was comprised almost exclusively of silverleaf whitefly, with 58 and 17 nymphs per 2.54 cm2 on Cobb and Braxton, respectively, on 23 September compared to less than 1.0 bandedwinged whitefly on each of these varieties. At the population peak each year, there were significantly more eggs and silverleaf whitefly nymphs on the upper trifoliolate leaves than on the lower trifoliolate leaves.

Infestation of Germplasm Lines and Cultivars of Cotton in Arizona by Whitefly Nymphs (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae)

Seasonal abundance of whitefly nymphs, primarily sweetpotato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius), and bandedwinged whitefly, Trialeurodes abutilonea (Haldeman), on leaves of germplasm lines and cultivars of cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L., were determined in field plots at Maricopa, AZ, in 1987. In general, the germplasm lines with the greatest numbers of leaf trichomes (range 2 to 98 per cm2) had the greatest numbers of nymphs (range 0.4 to 11.3 nymphs per leaf on 23 September). The okra-leaf characteristic did not have a consistent effect on the numbers of nymphs. Deltapine 20, Centennial, and Stoneville 506 cultivars planted on 30 April had significantly greater infestations (range 20.3 to 121.3 nymphs per leaf) on 16 October than did the same cultivars planted 21 May (range 4.5 to 53.0) or 11 June (range 7.0 to 31.5). The nectariless okra-leaf line WC-12NL and cultivar Deltapine 61 had 1.1 and 1.5 nymphs per leaf on 22 September, respectively, not significantly different.