Occurrence of nepoviruses in small fruits and fruit trees in Slovakia

Abstract

A survey of nepoviruses in small fruits and fruit trees in thirteen localities of Slovakia was undertaken during the last three years. The samples of spontaneously infected small fruits and fruit trees with symptoms such as leaf yellowing, mottling, chlorotic spotting, vein clearing, chlorosis, dwarfing, and in some cases even plant dying, were analysed. Virus identification in collected samples from affected crops was performed by ELISA using polyclonal antibodies. The following quarantine nepoviruses were detected: Tobacco ringspot nepovirus, Tomato ringspot nepovirus, Tomato black ring nepovirus, Raspberry ringspot nepovirus, Cherry leafroll nepovirus and Arabis mosaic nepovirus. Screening of virus vector nematodes in the rhizosphere of infected plants was also undertaken. Three Longidorus (L. elongatus, L. picenus and L. leptocephalus) and four Xiphinema phytonematode species (X. vuittenezi, X. diversicaudatum, X. taylori and X. pachtaicum) were recorded in localities tested.