February 9, 2006
From: ProMED-mail<promed@promedmail.org>
Source: British Society for Plant Pathology, New Disease Reports, Vol. 13 [edited] <http://www.bspp.org.uk/ndr/july2006/2006-09.asp>

First report of Eggplant mottled dwarf virus in potato and tomato in Slovenia
I. Mavric (1), M. Tusek Znidaric (2), M. Virscek Marn(1), P. Dolnicar(1), N. Mehle(2), D.-E. Lesemann(3) and M. Ravnikar(2)
1 Agricultural Institute of Slovenia, Hacquetova 17, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
2 National Institute of Biology, Vecna pot 111, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
3 BBA, Institute for Plant Virology, Microbiology and Biosafety, Messeweg 11-12, D-38104 Braunschweig, Germany

Accepted for publication 3 Feb 2006

In June 2004, potato plants of cvs. Bistra, Desiree, Discovery, KIS94-1/5-14 and Psata, showing unusual virus-like symptoms, were observed in a field in central Slovenia. Crops from different parts of the country were planted in this field to compare the frequency of virus infections. The symptoms were observed only on potatoes originating from Rakican in northeastern Slovenia. Symptomatic plants showed severe dwarfing, leaf curling and reduced leaf size; tubers were very small and few in number. Brown spots were clearly visible in cross-sections of tubers. Sap of symptomatic plants was used for mechanical inoculation of test plants. Local and systemic symptoms were observed on _Nicotiana benthamiana_, _N. clevelandii_, _N. glutinosa_, _N. rustica_, _N. tabacum_, but only local lesions on _Datura stramonium_. No symptoms were observed on _Chenopodium quinoa_. Electron microscopy of negatively stained crude extracts from symptomatic _N. benthamiana_, _N. clevelandii_ and _N! . tabacum_ revealed numerous rhabdovirus-like particles.

During summer of 2003 tomato plants cv. Belle, showing unusual symptoms of distinct chlorotic spots, wrinkles on fruits and narrow, necrotic leaves, were observed in north-eastern Slovenia, about 16 km from Rakican. Infected plants also showed size reduction, curling of mature leaves, yellowing and chlorosis along the margins of younger
leaves. Electron microscopy of negatively stained crude extracts revealed rhabdovirus-like particles. 3 weeks after mechanical inoculation with extracts from symptomatic leaves, systemic yellowing of veins and leaf curling was observed on _N. tabacum_ cv. White Burley and necrotic spots, starting on the bases of the leaves on _N. clevelandii_. These symptoms resembled those of the potato isolate. Electron microscopy of crude sap extracts again revealed rhabdovirus-like particles.

DAS-ELISA was used for confirmation of rhabdovirus infection of potato, tomato, symptomatic _N. rustica_ infected with potato sap, and symptomatic _N. tabacum_ cv. White Burley infected with tomato sap. Antisera against Eggplant mottled dwarf virus (EMDV) and Potato yellow dwarf virus (PYDV) were kindly supplied by Dr. S. Winter,
DSMZ, Braunschweig, Germany. ELISA results confirmed infection of tested plants with EMDV. No infections with PYDV were found. EMDV is widespread in the Mediterranean region and the Middle East (Brunt et al. 1996), and has recently been reported in mainland Spain (Aramburu et al., 2005). To our knowledge this is the 1st report of
EMDV in Slovenia.

References

Aramburu J, Galipienso L, Tornos T, Matas M, 2005. First report of Eggplant mottled dwarf virus in mainland Spain. New Disease Reports Volume 12
<http://www.bspp.org.uk/ndr>

Brunt AA, Crabtree K, Dallwitz MJ, Gibbs AJ, Watson L, Zurcher EJ, eds, 1996. Plant Viruses Online: Descriptions and Lists from the VIDE Database. Version: 20 August 1996.
<http://image.fs.uidaho.edu/vide/refs.htm>

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[A virus that is widespread in the Middle East has now been detected in tomato and potato in Slovenia. It has previously been reported in Bulgaria and Italy in pepper and cucumber and is known to infect tobacco and cucumber in Greece and eggplant in Turkey. EMDV was first reported in eggplant (_Solanum melongena_) in southern Italy in 1969. In addition to cucumber and pepper, the natural host range of the virus includes black nightshade (_Solanum nigrum_), and _S. sodomaeum_ that, in Morocco, may be a perennial source of infection.
The virus is transmitted by contact inoculation and grafting but not by seed. It spreads in Algeria, Italy, Morocco, Tunisia, Turkey, and the Canary Islands. The vector of ECMV is unknown, but because percentage of infection is generally low, a polyphagous insect with low vector specificity may be involved in transmission. Transmission
was achieved by the agallian leafhopper (_Agallia vorobjevi_) in a study in Iran.

Links:
<http://http://image.fs.uidaho.edu/vide/descr320.htm >
<http://www.dpvweb.net/dpv/showadpv.php?dpvno=115 >
<http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/links/doi/10.1046%2Fj.1439-0434.2003.00788.x >
- Mod.JAD]

[see also in the archive:
2001
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Eggplant mottled dwarf virus - Bulgaria 20010823.1994]