biologia plantarum

Biologia plantarum 1:223-234, 1959 | DOI: 10.1007/BF02928688

Oat sterile-dwarf virus disease

Vladimír Průša¹, Evžen Jermoljev¹, Josef Vacke¹

¹ Crop Production Research Institute of the Czechoslovak Academy of Agricultural Science, Ruzyně near Praha

This paper presents a summary of new evidence for regarding sterility and dwarfing of oats (OSDV) as a virus disease. Brief references are also made to the identification of a further virus in Czechoslovakia-the wheat striate virus (WSV). Both viruses are transmitted by the leafhopperCalligypona pellucida F. The wheat striate virus differs from the oat sterile-dwarf virus in that it can be passed transovarially by the infected females of the vector to their progeny. This characteristic, which made it possible for the two viruses to be separated from each other, was demonstrated for the first time for pathogenic viruses on the European continent in this case. OSDV can be transmitted by leafhopper larvae and adults. The time during which OSDV circulates in the vector's body is very variable; it is usually three to four weeks. The incubation period of OSDV was three to four weeks for oats, four to seven weeks for wheat and barley; rye only showed retarded growth after four weeks. For infection to take place it was necessary for the vector to remain for a minimum of half-an-hour on the test plant; 100% infection was obtained when the vector remained on the plant for three days. The injury inflicted by OSDV on the host does not increase proportionately either with the duration of the feeding period or with an increase in the number of vectors on the plant. Concentrated extracts of the crushed bodies of infectious leafhoppers produced no symptoms of disease, when rubbed or injected into oat plants. Nor were attempts to transfer OSDV and WSV through soil or dodder successful. OSDV was, however, transferred by grafting. Both viruses gave rise to characteristic symptoms inAvena fatua L. andPoa annua L. These findings are discussed from the etiological point of view.

Received: January 29, 1959; Published: September 1, 1959  Show citation