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Viruses alert on seed potatoes in the United Kingdom


A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases <http://www.isid.org>

Date: Tue 4 November 2014
Source: Farmers Weekly [edited]
<http://www.fwi.co.uk/articles/04/11/2014/147411/potato-virus-warning-in-home-saved-seed.htm>

Potato virus warning in home-saved seed
---------------------------------------

Potential high levels of virus infection in home-saved potato seed means that testing will be crucial ahead of next year's [2015] planting campaign. An early start to the 2014 growing season, coupled with large numbers of the virus-transmitting aphids appearing in young crops, has prompted concerns about high levels of infection being found in seed stocks.

Adrian Fox, principal virologist at DEFRA's Food and Environmental Research Agency (FERA) who carry out the testing, added that with potato seed prices rising, ware growers are more likely to rely on home-saved seed. If the virus index is high they have the opportunity to make an early, informed choice to source clean seed elsewhere.

"Whether saved for further multiplication or for next year's ware production, it is prudent to get it tested," he said.

Viruses are among the most economically damaging diseases in potatoes and one of the main reasons for crops failing seed certification.

There are 2 groups: persistent viruses, such as _Potato leaf roll virus_ (PLRV), and non-persistent viruses, which include PVY (_Potato virus Y_), PVA, and PVV. The aphid transmitted PLRV can upset the sugar or starch balance for chipping potatoes causing potential rejections while non-persistent viruses such as PVY are linked to tuber cracking and yield loss.

Two tuber virus indexing tests are [currently] available: the traditional "growing on test" followed by testing for specific viruses as requested, and a new [molecular] "rapid test" for tubers.

[byline: Luke Casswell]

--

communicated by: ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>

[Around 40 viruses have been reported to affect potato worldwide. A number of them can be spread by aphids, but since the crop is vegetatively propagated, many of them are also disseminated in tubers.

Some viruses may only have a minor effect on yield if they are the only infecting virus species. However, if virus-infected seed tubers are used, the virus population will gradually build up during every crop cycle, both in number of co-infecting (possibly synergistic) virus species and in amounts of infectious units per species. This invariably leads to severely reduced plant vigour and a dramatic drop in yield.

Disease management of potato viruses (and viroids) relies largely on clean planting material, but reduction of available virus reservoirs and vector numbers may also be useful. Control of viruses and reduction of high virus levels in regional crops may be extremely difficult since insect vectors and solanaceous pathogen reservoir hosts are often widespread. The important role that tubers play in virus and viroid spread is recognised by the strict requirements for certified seed potato production in many countries worldwide. Seed tuber certification and quarantine indexing is vital for national potato industries.

Maps

UK:

<http://healthmap.org/promed/p/40>,

<http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/europe/united_kingdom.gif> (with counties), and <http://www.picturesofengland.com/images/mapofengland/england-counties.gif>

Pictures

Potato virus symptoms via:

<http://vegetablemdonline.ppath.cornell.edu/PhotoPages/Potatoes/Viruses/PotVirusPhotoList.htm>

and

<http://www.ipmimages.org/browse/AreaSubs.cfm?area=116#?area=116&desc=29&div=2>

Links

Information on potato viruses:

<http://www.cipotato.org/library/pdfdocs/TIBen21142.pdf>,

<http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/r607101411.html>, and <http://vegetablemdonline.ppath.cornell.edu/factsheets/Virus_Potato.htm>

List of major potato viruses via:

<http://www.apsnet.org/publications/commonnames/Pages/Potato.aspx>

Virus elimination treatments:

<http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1364-3703.2007.00456.x>

Virus taxonomy via:

<http://ictvonline.org/virusTaxonomy.asp?version=2012>

FERA:

<http://www.fera.defra.gov.uk> - Mod.DHA]

 

[See Also:

2013

---

Potato virus Y, tuber necrotic strains - Ireland: 1st rep

20131122.2068426

Potato viruses - Tanzania: 1st reps 20131011.1995931

2012

---

Potato virus Y - USA: new biocontrol 20120705.1190483

2011

---

Potato virus Y - USA: new strains 20110128.0331

2010

---

Potato mop-top virus - Poland: 1st rep 20100616.2020 Viruses, virus-like pathogens - Pacific Islands 20100514.1572 Potato virus Y - Australia: update 20100329.0984 Potato viruses - Canada: (PE) 20100125.0273

2009

---

Andean potato viruses - Russia: (MS) 20091126.4053 Potato virus Y - South Africa: new strain, spread 20091111.3913 Potato diseases - UK, USA 20090821.2960 Potato virus Y - Switzerland: new strains 20090703.2396 Viruses & nematodes, potato - UK: alert 20090212.0628 Colombian datura virus, multicrop, emerging pathogen 20090107.0069

2008

---

Unspecified virus, potato - Uganda (KB) 20080317.1038 Potato diseases - India: (West Bengal) 20080206.0477 Viruses, potato - UK: (Scotland) 20080130.0383 and older items on potato viruses in the archives]



More news from: ISID (International Society for Infectious Diseases)


Website: http://www.isid.org

Published: November 10, 2014

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