Differential Transmission of Isolates of the High Plains virus by Different Sources of Wheat Curl Mites

Abstract

High Plains virus (HPV) isolates from Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Texas, and Utah were serologically related, had similar relative molecular masses (sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis) for the 32-kDa diagnostic HPV protein, and were transmissible and maintained free of Wheat streak mosaic virus (WSMV) by vascular puncture inoculation. Collections of wheat curl mites (Aceria tosichella Keifer; WCM) from Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Texas differentially transmitted these isolates. For collections from South Dakota and Texas, little or no HPV transmission occurred, whereas WCM from Nebraska and Montana transmitted all five isolates. The collection from Kansas mostly transmitted only one HPV isolate. Aviruliferous or viruliferous WSMV Nebraska WCM transmitted HPV at similar rates and aviruliferous Montana WCM transmitted HPV at lower levels than viruliferous Montana WCM.