First report of Alfalfa mosaic virus in Pachysandra terminalis in Europe

Description

Pachysandra terminalis (Buxaceae) was introduced from Japan to Europe in 1882. This ornamental plant is grown in northern Europe as a ground cover in shaded sites. Line patterns, more or less necrotic ringspots, and mosaic symptoms on leaves of pachysandra plants have been seen in public gardens in France (Strasbourg, Colmar, Mulhouse, and Nantes) and Germany (Freiburg im Breisgaü). Extracts of plant tissues obtained from these five sites were used for mechanical- and aphid-transmission experiments, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) with antibodies directed toward a tomato strain of Alfalfa mosaic virus (AMV) (from G. Marchoux, INRA, France), and electron microscopy. All inoculations produced symptoms typical for AMV in Nicotiana tabacum cv. Xanthi-nc tobacco, Chenopodium amaranticolor, C. quinoa, Vigna unguiculata, Phaseolus vulgaris, Vicia faba, Pisum sativum, and Ocimum basilicum (2). Moreover, Medicago arborea, a new host for AMV, showed systemic mosaic on leaflets. On these and the original pachysandras, AMV was readily detected by ELISA. After isolation from three to four local lesions on Vigna unguiculata and further multiplication in tobacco, one isolate was purified. Bacilliform particles of three sizes, typical for AMV, were seen by electron microscopy. Transmissions of the strain to ELISA-negative pachysandras was achieved by mechanical inoculations (7 of 20 inoculated plants were ELISA positive) and by the aphid species Myzus persicae and Aphis craccivora (14 of 17 inoculated plants were infected). Symptoms were observed 2 months after inoculation; some of the plants remained symptomless but were AMV positive in ELISA. As early as 1970, similar symptoms were reported in pachysandra in New Jersey, and AMV was isolated from affected plants (1). However, inoculations of healthy pachysandra plants with AMV was not performed. Our results show the need for an AMV indexing protocol in the propagation of pachysandra to control its spread.

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