biologia plantarum

Biologia plantarum 2:276, 1960 | DOI: 10.1007/BF02920667

Wheat striate virus

Vladimír Průša¹, Josef Vacke²

¹ Institute for Hop-Research, Czechoslovak Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Žatec

² Crop Production Research Institute of the Czechoslovak Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Praha-Ruzyně

In addition to the oat sterile-dwarf virus (OSDV) as the main agent causing grave damage to cereal crops in the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands during 1954-56, when the disease reached catastrophic proportions, it was found that wheat striate virus (WSV) also played a part. Symptomatological study showed that there are characteristic differences between the effect of WSV on the host plants and that of OSDV. Similarly to OSDV, however, WSV is specifically spread by the leafhopperCalligypona pellucida Fabr. Following long-term individual testing of vectors taken from localities infested with OSDV and WSV, four groups of insects were distinguished according to their pathogenic effects on cereal crops: 1. nonpathogenic, 2. producing OSDV symptoms, 3. producing WSV symptoms, 4. producing for the most part OSDV symptoms, but occasionally WSV or symptoms characteristic for both viruses simultaneously. WSV is persistent in its vector and is transferred byC. pellucida larvae at different stages of development and by imagos of both sexes. WSV tends to be transferred less regularly than OSDV. Considerable differences in efficiency of carrying WSV are to be found between individual leafhoppers, so that it is possible to assume the existence of races with varying efficiency in this respect. Among field populations in this country less efficient races prevail. For the transmission of WSV to be effected it was necessary for the vector to remain on the host for at least nine hours, but it seems that a shorter period might suffice. Extracts of crushed leaves of wheat plants suffering from the striate disease and from infective leafhoppers failed to cause infection when inoculated mechanically (by rubbing, injection) into plants. Attempts to achieve transmission through the soil or by dodder (Cuscuta campestris Yunck.) gave negative results. It was not possible to determine the thermal inactivation point of the virus in the live vector. The mosaic (zakuklivanie) virus of oat and the Russian mosaic of winter wheat as described in the U.S.S.R. differ from OSDV and WSV among other points by the production of typical inclusions and by the fact that they can easily be induced to crystallize.

Received: February 12, 1960; Published: December 1, 1960  Show citation