Plant Disease - An international journal of applied plant pathology

Development of an RT-PCR for High Plains virus Indexing Scheme in New Zealand Post-Entry Quarantine.
B. S. M. Lebas, F. M. Ochoa-Corona, D. R. Elliott, Z. Tang, and B. J. R. Alexander
Plant Environmental Laboratory, Biosecurity New Zealand, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, P.O. Box 2095, Auckland 1015, New Zealand. Plant Dis. DOI: 10.1094/PD-89-1103. Accepted for publication 7 June 2005.

INTERPRETIVE SUMMARY

High Plains virus (HPV) causes a potentially serious economic disease of cereals and is of quarantine importance for New Zealand. HPV is transmitted by the wheat curl mite Aceria tosichella, and neither the virus nor its vector is present in New Zealand. Cereal seeds imported to New Zealand are required to be certified HPV-free, as the virus is a regulated pest. A quarantine virus indexing scheme for HPV using specific procedures and reliable molecular methods of detection was developed to ensure that infected seed lines are not released from quarantine. A sample of 50,655 sweet corn seeds was taken from an imported commercial line and germinated in containment. HPV was detected, and results suggest the presence of a population of the virus. It is recommended that quarantine virus indexing scheme inspections be carried out when seedlings consist of at least five to six leaves. This allows symptoms to fully develop. In field-grown conditions, more symptomatic plants may be observed as a result of more conducive environmental conditions and also the spread of other virus diseases including Barley stripe mosaic virus. The protocol is recommended in HPV testing for quarantine purposes or as a diagnostic tool for evaluating the spread of HPV where it is already present.

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